11 November 2024

On 24 and 25 October 2024, the 2nd Resource Forum (or the 16th Mineral Resources Workshop) took place on the campus of Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences. A platform that has long since become an important event for knowledge exchange and networking beyond the regional players.

The Resource Forum 2024 at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences focussed on current developments and challenges in the sustainable use of resources. (Photos: Michael Pieplow)

The reorganisation of the workshop two years ago took account of developments in industry and politics as well as the urgent need to preserve the environment and use it efficiently. Accordingly, the forum focused on topics relating to sustainability and the optimisation of the aforementioned resource flows.

After the welcome address by Prof. Flüggen from the organising university in Nordhausen, two keynote speeches on the recycling of sediments and the use and analysis of biochar provided an insight into the range of relevant specialist topics.

A "secret" focus of the event was a topic that may seem unappetising at first glance - sewage sludge: sewage sludge is available in growing quantities, but the way in which the recyclable materials it contains can be returned to the cycle is currently the subject of heated debate. In the various presentations, its sources, the possibilities for analysing and processing it and its further use were examined, taking into account the current legal situation. Treatment methods, some of which are suitable for sewage sludge, but also for other residual materials, were also discussed in the bioresources session, sometimes in contrasting ways.

The parallel events on the topics of sustainable construction and the circular economy were no less engaging.  

At the end of the first day of the forum, a guided tour of the Thuringian Innovation Centre for Recyclable Materials (ThIWert) - the only one of its kind to be affiliated with a "university of applied sciences" - and the concluding evening event in the traditional Nordhausen distillery with the opportunity for networking are already traditional.

The second day also began with two keynote speeches given by two "professionals" in the field of recycling. Prof R. Pomberger from the Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria) dealt with the potentials and limits of the circular economy, while Prof D. Goldman from the TU Clausthal spoke about the raw material potentials in "tailings" (residues from mining) in the economic cycle. These tailings generally contain a variety of economically strategic materials that only played a subordinate role in the creation of the circular economy.

In the subsequent parallel events, topics relating to sustainability in geotechnical engineering, the circular economy and its material flows, as well as issues relating to recycling technologies and the use of AI were discussed with the experts from this industry in attendance.

The diversity of developments in the field of sustainable resource utilisation became clear, as did the challenge of using them appropriately on a large scale.

The resources industry was represented by high-calibre representatives from companies such as Veolia Klärschlammverwertung GmbH, LMBV, K-UTEC AG Salt Technologies, Aurubis AG and Circular Silicon Europe GmbH, who reported on their research activities, current projects and the associated challenges in their presentations.

Next year, the Resource Forum will take place again in October, with the topic of plastics recycling again being one of the focal points.

"See you again in October 2025!!!"