Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology I www.hzdr.de/hif
Resource TechnologiesBrief overview of our work
Dr. Stefan Dirlich
Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology
18 May 2017, Leipzig
Status 2012
AUG 2011
� Increasing diversity of demand
� Geostrategic importance
� Increasing raw materials demand
� Limited resource availability
VisionMotivation
Dr. Stefan Dirlich
Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology
Page
Founding of HIF
Extraction MetallurgyExploration Processing Recycling
Future
Strategic Developments
AUG 2011 DEC 2014 SEP 2015 OCT 2016
The institute will become the national (European) center for researching &
developing technologies designed to assure & safeguard the steady supply of
mineral & metalliferous raw materials for the German (and European) economy.
Vision
Dr. Stefan Dirlich
Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology
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Founding of HIF
JAN 2015 JUN 2016JAN 2014
PoF III Evaluation
Current Core Competences
Dr. Stefan Dirlich
Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology
Page
Quelle: HZDR
Research Highlights I
Supply potential of Critical Raw Materials
� Novel method for quantitative assessment
of by-product metal supply potential
� Case studies for In, Ge, & Ga
� New approach to criticality assessment –
meets the definitions of risk theory
Predictive metallurgy & adaptive
optimization
� Methods to compute optimal mineral
processing decisions
� Connecting quantitative mineralogical data
with process models
� Predictive recovery models for industrial
tailings
� Quantification of the benefit of geometallurgy
& adaptive optimization
Dr. Stefan Dirlich
Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology
Page
Key Papers
Frenzel et al. (2016) Resources Policy, 46, 45-58
Frenzel et al. (2017) Journal of Physics D, 50, 123002
Frenzel et al. (2017) Resource Policy, in press
Geometallurgical model for the recoverable Sn content from the Tiefenbach
tailings storage facility, Altenberg (Büttner et al., 2017).Probability distributions describing
estimated supply potential relative
to primary production in 2014
(Frenzel et al., 2017)
Key Papers
Leißner et al. (2016) Minerals Engineering, 94, 94-103
Minz et al. (2016) Mineral Processing & Extractive Metallurgy, 1-12
Tolosana-Delgado et al. (2015) SAIMM, 115, 13-26
Research Highlights II
Processing of ultrafine particles
� Hydrophobic interaction mapping using
colloidal probe atomic force microscopy
� Mechanism of hydrophobization through
analysis of heterogeneity of surface free
energies
� Determining the impact of the granulometry
of gangue particles in flotation pulps
Novel biotechnology applications
� BioleachingCu bioleaching of complex ores at pH 7
Monitoring 64Cu2+ mobility using GeoPET
Microbial mobilization of REE from fluorescent phosphors
� BiosorptionTechnology platform for the selection of metal specific
peptides (Patent pending, DE102013226042)
� BioflotationNovel application of phage surface display technology
to develop flotation chemicals
Dr. Stefan Dirlich
Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology
Page
Schematic, artistic representation of the flotation process
for separation of fine to ultrafine particles
Key Papers
Rudolph et al. (2014) Minerals Engineering, 66-68, 181-190
Leistner et al. (2017) Minerals Engineering, 109, 1-9
Rudolph et al. (2017) Colloids and Surfaces A, 513, 380-388
Key Papers
Lederer et al. (2017) Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 114, 5, 1016-1024
Hopfe et al. (2017) Waste Management, 62, 211-221
Barthen et al. (in press) Chemosphere
Schematic illustration of bacteria
attached to a mineral surface
PET image from [64Cu]CuS
precipitate on quartz pebbles prior
to column leaching (IRE)
Research Highlights III
Ga-Recycling from waste water
� Innovative dialysis process for the recycling
of Ga using membrane technology
� Increased recycling rate ca. 20%
� Patent submitted
� German Raw Materials
Efficiency Award 2014 of
the Bundesministerium für
Wirtschaft & Energie
Quantifying recyclability
� Fairphone received Umweltpreis in 2016Conflict free minerals & metals
Modular design allows for repairs
� Linking product design to material &
metallurgical processing routes
� Quantification of the recycling efficiency of
Fairphone 2
� Outcome released to the public
Dr. Stefan Dirlich
Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology
Page
Principle of Electro DialysisPilot plant
Modular design of the Fairphone 2 Recycling Index of the Fairphone 2
Outlook
Research
� Linking energy & resource systems (Helmholtz-
Zukunftsthema Energy Systems Integration)
� Smart usage of sensors for adaptive processing
Infrastructure
� Metallurgical pilot plant
� Tailing Research Site
Dr. Stefan Dirlich
Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology
Page
� Tailing Research Site
Industry
� Development & benchmarking of
unique analytical instruments
� Case studies for predictive
geometallurgy
� Simulation of raw materials value
chains using big data analysis
Thank you for your attention!
Dr. Stefan Dirlich
Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology
Page