In earlier centuries, raw materials were literally hacked out of the rock. The process is vividly described in the miners’ anthem, the Steigerlied. As the concentration of valuable minerals in new finds decreased, extraction became gradually more difficult. So for the past 150 years or so, the main technique for se­parating out the ores has been flotation.

In a degree ceremony held today (08/12/17) at Stellenbosch Uni­versity, Markus Reu­ter is to be awarded an honorary PhD in Engineering for his outstanding scientific and technological contribution to the production and recycling of metals, as well as his exceptional role in the practical implementation of academic research. Since 2015, the metallurgy and recycling expert has been Director at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf and Honorary Professor for System-Integrated Material Production at TU Bergakademie Freiberg.

At the annual general meeting of the Association of Friends and Sponsors of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg on 1st December 2017, Dr Max Frenzel was awarded the 2017 Bernhard von Cotta Prize. The scientist, who is currently engaged in research at the Uni­versity of Adelaide in Australia, was honored for the outstanding work he did as part of his dissertation at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) and at the Institute of Mineralogy of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg.

Die Energiewende ­verändert den Rohstoffbedarf nicht nur in Deutschland erheblich. Um welche Ressourcen es dabei geht, wofür diese gebraucht werden und wie die steigende Nachfrage gedeckt werden kann, beleuchten Experten aus Gesell­schaft, Industrie und For­schung in einer Reihe von Fachvorträgen am Helmholtz-Institut Freiberg für Res­sourcen­tech­no­logie (HIF), das zum Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf gehört. Der erste Vortrag beginnt am 5. Dezember 2017 um 17 Uhr. Dr. Volker Steinbach, Vizepräsident der Bundesanstalt für Geowissen­schaften und Rohstoffe, erläutert die Auswirkungen der Energiewende auf den zukünftigen Rohstoff­verbrauch.

If a raw material is in short supply, this can ad­versely affect entire industries. This is why the last decade has seen large-scale investment into research on high-tech metals, the supply of which is deemed to be at risk, and which are therefore considered critical. Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), part of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, and at Technische Uni­versität Chemnitz have closely examined existing criticality studies, and disco­vered se­veral flaws in their methodo­logies. They are calling for a reassessment of which materials are to be designated as ‘critical’. This could lead to the inclusion of copper, iron, aluminium and other classic industrial metals in revised lists of critical raw materials.

Europe is about to become more attractive for the exploration of raw materials. Partners drawn from research and industry plan to develop innovative, non-invasive ­techno­logies and test them under realistic conditions. For this purpose, three European reference areas are to be established in Germany (Geyer), Finland (Sakatti) and Spain (Minas de Riotinto, Gerena). To this end, the EU is investing around 5.6 million euros o­ver the next three years in INFACT, a new research project in which 17 partners from seven countries have joined forces. The project is being coordinated by the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf.

Seit 2013 testen Wissen­schaftler aus dem Helmholtz-Institut Freiberg für Res­sourcen­tech­no­logie (HIF) am Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf zusammen mit Partnern im Erzgebirge neue Methoden, um schonen­d Rohstoffe zu erkunden. Ihre Ergebnisse stellen sie am Donnerstag, 9.11.2017, um 17 Uhr im Huthaus an der Binge in Geyer vor. Das HIF lädt die interessierte Öffentlich­keit und Medien­vertre­ter dazu ein.

Since last year HIF researchers have been contributing their infrastructures and know-how to the development of a rare earth deposit in the north-west of Vietnam. Prof. Quang-Van Phan, the project lea­der on the Vietnamese side, has just spent three months in Freiberg in order to push on the cooperation, accomplishing se­veral important intermediate steps.

HIF staff members have lately been successful with presenting their research at various conferences. Dr Rohan Jain, a Marie Curie Fellow at HIF’s Biotechnology Group, has received a pos­ter award for pursuing an entirely novel approach in biotechnology in order to reco­ver gallium from wastewater. PhD student Bruno Michaux, who works with the Processing Division, has won a pos­ter award for introducing a modeling and simulation approach to handle water chemistry issues in ore processing using flotation. And his colleague Haosheng Wu was just given a best student presentation award for her research dedicated to the microanalysis of raw materials (see news of 20 Sept).

Haosheng Wu, a PhD student at Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), won a best student presentation award at the 21st International Conference on Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). Part of HIF’s Processing Division, she applies methods of the institute’s Ion Beam Analysis Group, thus linking both teams closely. The conference took place from 10 to 15 September 2017 in Krakow, Poland, gathering representatives from both academia and industry to exchange results and new ideas on SIMS and related techniques.

Around 120 researchers, technicians and administrative staff are currently employed at HIF, which operates three different sites in Freiberg and Dresden. As a mat­ter of fact, hardly any team member will know all the others. But how can the networking and scientific exchange be facilitated? In order to achieve this, HIF’s first-e­ver science slam took place on 1 September.

Das Bundesministerium für Wirt­schaft und Energie ­verleiht für herausragendes Engagement im Bereich der Rohstoffeffizienz den Deutschen Rohstoffeffizienz-Preis.

There is as yet no commercially viable method of salvaging all valuable metals from the dust generated during the production of copper and zinc. The HIF is conducting research into a new process specifically targeted at recycling the rare metal indium.

The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), a subordinate to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), will be an important partner of the German raw materials research network GERRI.

In Germany, less than half of electronics waste is recollected again. Meagre collection quotas are just one, albeit ­very important reason why there is still so much left to do when it comes to recycling. The complex design of modern electronical devices like in a mobile phone is by itself a great challenge for reco­vering valuable metalliferous and mineral resources.

Freiberg’s terra mineralia exhibition is offering a new series of summer workshops for anyone interested in exploring, analyzing raw materials and enriching minerals; the series is being conducted in cooperation with the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), part of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, and other partners. All raw materials enthusiasts aged 12 and o­ver are welcome to take part. The first workshop takes place on Wednesday 28th June 2017.

For presenting his results obtained by Mineral Liberation Analysis, Duong Huu Hoang, scientific assistant at TU Bergakademie Freiberg and HIF, was awarded the first prize of the “Metallurgy, Physical and Chemical Techno­logies of Hydrocarbons Treatment” section at the Annual Conference for Young Researchers in Saint Petersburg.

The Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), which is part of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, will receive a grant of approximately €900,000 o­ver the next three years to support the development of new ­techno­logies for the environmentally and socially sustainable as well as efficient exploration of natural resources. The EU funding will be made available by EIT RawMaterial­s, which is supported by the European Insitute of Innovation and Technology, and has already been earmarked for three new projects. The researchers are seeking to advance drone-based exploration and other innovative exploration methods.

Chile is one of the most important suppliers of copper to German industry. Within the framework of the scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries, research is now being pursued into how Chilean copper ores can be extracted in a more environmentally sustainable way. Bioactive substances derived from bacteria may replace or reduce chemicals. A further aim is to increase metal yield while extracting metals that are traditionally difficult to se­parate out, in particular the molybdenum content. The joint project between Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) – part of HZDR – and the Advanced Mining and Technology Cen­ter at the Uni­versidad de Chile in Santiago de Chile began in February.

Am 7. März 2017 findet der „German Day“ bereits zum fünften Mal auf der weltweit größten Bergbau- und Explorations­messe, der PDAC International Convention, Trade Show & Investors Exchange, in Toronto, Kanada statt. Die Veranstal­tung bietet deutschen Unternehmen eine Plattform, um ihre Expertise und ihr Know-How im Bereich Bergbau und Exploration internationalen Partnern zu präsen­tier­en. Der diesjährige „German Day“ steht unter dem Titel „Future of Mining: German Canadian Forum on trends in exploration ­techno­logies, productivity improvements and digital innovation”.

The youngs­ters attending the Win­ter Business School (9th - 27th January 2017) come from Brazil, Colombia, China and India as well as many other parts of the world and have already graduated in subjects such as Geology, Mineral Engineering, Physics and Chemistry. They are united by a desire to identify solutions to the challenges faced by the raw materials industry and to obtain a European Master’s in Georesources Engineering. This includes a three-week win­ter school in Freiberg, Saxony. 18 students from the course are taking part.

There are many known ore deposits on Greenland, but also many sites that are difficult to reach. An innovative ‘toolbox’ based on drone-borne methods as well as specialised compu­ter software could soon make the exploration of raw materials significantly easier. Researchers from Freiberg are hereby collaborating with the Geological Research Institute of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS).