EMC 2017 – international and of the highest calibre

“Excellent from start to finish,” was the praise from one EMC exhibitor, allowing us to look back with pride on a successful European Metallurgical Conference, EMC 2017.

The 9th EMC demonstrated once again that this series of events, which has been held biennially since 2001, has established itself as a specialist conference of international significance. Over 430 participants from more than 30 countries were welcomed to the venue in Leipzig.

Just under 200 presentations, the trade exhibition with 25 stands and a poster exhibition formed the technical and scientific core of the event, whilst in the evenings, networking took place in a relaxed atmosphere at the ‘Get-Together’ at the Bayerischer Bahnhof and the ‘Congress Banquet’ in the Salles de Pologne provided opportunities for networking in a pleasant atmosphere.

The conference opened with the keynote theme “Production and Recycling of Non-Ferrous Metals: Saving Resources for a Sustainable Future”, with welcoming addresses by the President of the GDMB (Society of Metallurgists and Miners), Professor Dr Hans Jacobi; the Saxon Minister of State for Finance, Professor Dr Georg Unland; and the Chair of the Scientific Committee, Dr Bernd E. Langner.

Fig. 1: Great interest right from the start of the plenary presentations

Under the chairmanship of Dr Langner, the conference’s technical programme began with the first two plenary presentations. Dr Thomas Bünger (Aurubis AG) kicked things off by outlining the future potential and challenges facing the base metals industry.

The next speaker, Professor Rodney T. Jones (Mintek), provided a comprehensive, first-hand overview of the situation in the primary and secondary metals industry in Africa, particularly South Africa.

In addition to economic indicators, Professor Jones provided in-depth insights into the past and present of the industry in his home country, as well as forecasts regarding its future development. Professor Jones did not overlook social aspects, such as the role of the raw materials sector as a major employer.

The programme of scientific presentations in the five halls began with the topics ‘Simulations and Model Calculations’, ‘Minor Metals’, ‘Process fundamentals, modelling and new processes’, ‘Slag’ and ‘Lead’.

Right from the start, the various sessions presented participants with a wide range of scientific papers, case studies and comparisons of processes used internationally. The afternoon programme expanded the range of topics to include ‘Strategies for Resource Savings’, ‘Refractory Metals’, ‘Precious Metals’, ‘Copper’, ‘Secondary Metallurgy’ and ‘Nickel / Cobalt / Vanadium’.

On Monday evening, speakers and visitors made their way to the “get-together” at the Bayerischer Bahnhof to discuss what they had heard, exchange experiences, meet old acquaintances or make new contacts over rustic food and drinks.

The second day of the conference began with three further highly interesting plenary presentations: Juan Rayo, from the Universidad de Chile, opened proceedings with an overview of innovations in South American mining. This was followed by a presentation by Dr David H. DeYoung (Alcoa Corporation), the current President of the TMS, who, after expressing his thanks for the warm welcome from Chairman Dipl.-Ing. Norbert L. Piret, spoke about aluminium smelting with regard to past and future developments.

The third and final plenary lecture of the day was delivered by Professor Shuji Owada of Waseda University, who gave a detailed and fascinating account of developments in the field of separating electronic devices to recycle the metals they contain. An article based on Professor Owada’s presentation has already been published in *World of Metallurgy – ERZMETALL* 3/17.

Furthermore, the second day of the conference featured, amongst other things, the ‘Copper’, ‘Zinc’ and ‘General Hydrometallurgy’ sessions, which once again offered a wide range of around 60 presentations covering a diverse array of approaches.

On Tuesday evening, a four-course dinner – served in the neo-Baroque ballroom of the Salles de Pologne – was undoubtedly the highlight of the social programme. Participants gathered in the historic premises of the former Hôtel de Pologne. The thirteen-axis building was once the city’s largest hotel and is now – following extensive restoration in keeping with its heritage status – one of the top venues.

On the third day of the conference, the poster presentations took place alongside two plenary lectures. The day began with a presentation by Dr Pengfu Tan (Glencore International) on current developments in the lead and zinc industry in China. Dr Christian Hagelüken (Umicore) then presented an overview of the circular economy and its implementation in the EU.

Following the poster presentations, talks from the ‘Recycling/Waste’ and ‘Improving of Alloys’ sessions, amongst others, offered visitors further insights.

The third day of the conference concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Professor Dr Stefan Gößling-Reisemann of the University of Bremen, based on a Delphistudy aimed at identifying potential for resource conservation in the German non-ferrous metals industry, with the participation of representatives from the Federal Environment Agency; in addition to the plenary speakers and the chairman, visitors and presenters also contributed to the success of the session with their comments.

The ‘Young Scientist’s Paper Award’ was launched as an incentive prize to recognise the achievements of young scientists whose work makes an important contribution to the future development of metallurgy. The presentations by candidates under the age of 30 were assessed on the basis of their scientific significance for the metallurgy sector, their potential for practical application, the future prospects of the research findings and the professionalism of the presentation. Each participant had the opportunity to vote for one of the speakers via a questionnaire.

The winner will be announced in the forthcoming issue of World of Metallurgy – ERZMETALL 4/2017 (publication date: 24 July).

The results of a survey of exhibitors and participants will also be published in *World of Metallurgy – ERZMETALL* 4/2017.

We have succeeded in establishing a top-class international event within the global conference landscape. Representatives from industry, academia, public authorities, universities and politics travelled to Leipzig for an interdisciplinary exchange of experiences, once again making the EMC a hotspot for international non-ferrous metallurgy. The Scientific and Organising Committee would like to thank all speakers, participants, exhibitors and sponsors, and looks forward to seeing everyone again in two years’ time.

Conference attendees were more than satisfied with the quality of the conference proceedings, which are once again available this year in both printed form and on CD and can be reordered from GDMB Verlag (www.gdmb-shop.de).

From 23 to 26 June 2019, we invite you to Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, where we will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the European Metallurgical Conference together with the trade fair quartet comprising Gifa, Metec, Thermprocess and Newcast.

- Abridged press release -

EMC 2017 – international and high-calibre

9^th European Metallurgical Conference in Leipzig

The 9th EMC proved once again that this series of events, which has been held biennially since 2001, has established itself as a specialist conference of international significance. The host city, Leipzig, welcomed more than 430 participants from over 30 nations.

The conference centre in Saxony’s largest city – which is regarded as a historic economic hub and the world’s oldest trade fair venue – offered an attractive event infrastructure. Just under 200 presentations from sessions such as ‘Copper’, ‘Lead’, ‘Zinc’ and ‘Strategies for Resource Conservation’, the specialist exhibition featuring 25 stands, and a poster exhibition formed the technical and scientific core of the event. The conference was opened with welcoming addresses by the President of the GDMB (Society of Metallurgists and Miners), Professor Dr Hans Jacobi; the Saxon Minister of State for Finance, Professor Dr Georg Unland; and the Chair of the Scientific Committee, Dr Bernd E. Langner.

In addition to the specialist presentations, international plenary speakers invited the audience to learn about technical and industrial developments in South America, Asia, the USA and South Africa, amongst other regions.

“Excellent from start to finish” – this praise from an EMC exhibitor allows the Scientific and Organising Committee to look back with pride on a successful EMC European Metallurgical Conference 2017.

The quality of the conference proceedings, which are once again available this year in both printed form and on CD and can be reordered from GDMB Verlag (www.gdmb-shop.de), left conference attendees more than satisfied.

From 23 to 26 June 2019, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf, will be hosting the event. Together with the trade fair quartet comprising Gifa, Metec, Thermprocess and Newcast, the 10th anniversary of the European Metallurgical Conference will be celebrated.

Contact:

GDMB
Paul-Ernst-Straße 10
38667 Clausthal-Zellerfeld
Telephone: +49 5323 937 20
Email: GDMB@GDMB.de
Website: www.GDMB.de

We would be happy to provide you with higher-resolution images for publication.

ITPS 2017
GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS, NEWCAST 2019

Monika Kissing/ Michelle Pietsch
Tel: +49 (0)211-4560 543/465
Fax: +49 (0)211-4560 87543