Conference Agenda

Domestic production of mineral raw materials is an acknowledged key factor for resilient and secure supply chains in Europe. Potash and rock salt represent long-established while crucial resources. The importance extends the mining sector itself, being essential fertilizer for agricultural productivity among others. Recent geopolitical disruptions, particularly in Ukraine and the Middle East, have exposed the fragility of global supply chains and the urgent need to strengthen domestic production.

Meanwhile, the sector faces significant challenges, including e.g. climate-related pressures on agriculture, and geopolitical uncertainties exacerbated by contradictory social expectations, complex regulatory frameworks, and the technical difficulties of deep underground and solution mining. Consequently, continuous geological exploration, robust resource modeling, and innovation in mining and processing technologies, must be maintained balancing environmental protection and economic viability. This is compound by a serious shortage of qualified geoscientists and mining professionals that will not be resolved in the foreseeable future

The sustainable development of potash and salt deposits for example highlights both the strengths and limitations of domestic resource extraction. While long production histories and substantial geological knowledge provide a reliable basis for supply, future resilience depends on technological advancement, workforce availability, and clear societal support. Securing a durable social acceptance is therefore not optional, but a prerequisite for maintaining domestic supply.

This contribution reflects on the role of industrial mineralst in the context of demand and supply, the challenges facing the sector and the geosciences, and how responsibly developed domestic mineral resources contribute to security of supply and sustainable raw material management.

Geothermal energy enables a base load capable and climate-friendly supply of heat and electricity. Brine is produced from a hot aquifer, used for heat extraction, and then reinjected into the reservoir. Many fluids processed in a geothermal power plant are highly saline. Some brine constituents, such as lithium, are valuable as raw materials, and others, such as lead, form scales that reduce the efficiency of the plant and can cause pore-plugging around the reinjection well.

This research focuses on the removal of Li⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions from geothermal brines in Central Europe using zeolites as selective adsorbents. Due to their selectivity, as well as their thermal and chemical stability, zeolites are suitable for this application. Different zeolites were examined to determine their adsorption capacity for Li⁺ and Pb²⁺. Because of their stability under geothermal operating conditions, they can be used upstream of the power plant, where brine temperatures typically range from 80 °C to 150 °C, and pressures range from 8 bar to 22 bar.

Previous batch experiments have shown that the adsorption capacity increases with rising temperature, indicating a positive effect of high temperatures on the uptake of target ions. Therefore, a new high-temperature column was constructed to further investigate the adsorption behavior of the zeolites under realistic geothermal process conditions. Adsorption experiments at elevated temperatures and pressures will be presented.

Resilienz ist eine zentrale Voraussetzung für die Funktionsfähigkeit von Industrienationen. Insbesondere die jüngsten Krisen haben die Verwundbarkeit globaler Lieferketten offengelegt und verdeutlichen, dass die Versorgung mit kritischen und strategischen Rohstoffen besonders geopolitischen und ökonomischen Risiken unterliegt. Für die EU und dadurch auch Deutschland hat die Sicherung der Rohstoffverfügbarkeit eine strategische Bedeutung. Zur Frage der resilienten Versorgung mit kritischen und strategischen Rohstoffen in Krisenfällen wurden Expertinnen und Experten aus Wirtschaft, Behörden und Forschung befragt. Die Auswertungen ergeben, dass die Erschließung heimischer Lagerstätten eine notwendige, aber aufgrund langer Planungs- und Entwicklungszeiträume keine kurzfristige Lösung für akute Versorgungsengpässe darstellt. Entsprechend ist eine vorausschauende Investition in zukünftige Stabilität notwendig. Heimische Rohstoffe könnten durch Diversifizierung und regionale Wertschöpfung einen Beitrag zur mittel- und langfristigen Resilienz leisten, können aber internationale Partnerschaften nicht ersetzen. Gleichzeitig wird deutlich, dass für eine robuste Rohstoffversorgung umfassende strukturelle Maßnahmen erforderlich sind, darunter der Ausbau geologischer Erkundung, die Einführung von strategischer Lagerhaltung, der Ausbau von metallurgischen Kapazitäten, die Einführung geeigneter regulatorischer und finanzieller Rahmenbedingungen sowie der Erhalt und Ausbau der entsprechenden Kompetenzen. Vor dem Hintergrund sicherheits- und verteidigungspolitischer Anforderungen unterstreicht die Studie die Notwendigkeit eines integrierten Ansatzes, der wirtschaftliche, technologische und gesellschaftliche Aspekte vereint und langfristig tragfähige Lösungen ermöglicht.

With the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), the EU sets clear benchmarks to strengthen domestic raw material supply. However, a significant gap remains between political ambition and practical implementation: the social acceptance of (new) mining projects.

Social acceptance is still underestimated in the European context, even though it is increasingly becoming a critical barrier to exploration and mining. It determines whether a project succeeds or fails. Without public acceptance, neither exploration nor continuous mining operations can be realistically carried out – even when all legal requirements and permits are in place. Experience from Europe and international projects shows that failures rarely result from geological or technical issues, but rather from insufficient, delayed, or non-transparent communication.

Particularly in Europe, where environmental and social sensitivities are high, regulatory approval alone is not enough. While public consultation is often legally required, social acceptance must still be actively earned. Public authorities and governments must also play a more active role in shaping communication, building trust in procedures, and supporting acceptance of domestic raw material projects.

Communication is not an afterthought, but a core management tool to make risks, timelines, and costs predictable. Yet it is still underestimated and too rarely used as a continuous, strategic process. Transparency, dialogue, and genuine participation must be established from the outset. Communication goes beyond information: expectations must be heard, conflicts addressed, and solutions developed jointly. Social acceptance is built on trust, not technology.

Without communication, there is no trust – and without trust, no project, and no energy transition.