On Sustainable Mineral Processing (8th Intl. Symp.)


Bio | CV | Publications

This major symposium is in honor of the distinguished work and lifetime achievements of Prof. Mauricio Leonardo Torem, a very well-known professional with deep impact in the mineral processing field and its applications for sustainable development.

Professor Maurício Leonardo Torem (June 29 1954) is a metallurgical and industrial engineer. He undertook his bachelor and master degree at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy (nowadays, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering) – Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in 1977 and 1980, respectively.

During that time, he worked in mineral processing and extractive metallurgy. Particularly in his bachelor project, he developed a well-recognized scientific work dealing with a manganese and iron oxide containing ore and its selective reduction with green coal. During his MSc degree, the effort was also very successful on his investigation: "On the effect of some additives in the electro crystallization of metallic manganese in sulphuric medium".

By the end of 1980, he worked for White Martins in its calcium carbide plant until 1983, when he was invited to move back to the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio). In his first stage at PUC-Rio (1983-1989), he also carried out his doctorate at the Department of Metallurgical Engineering – Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. His doctorate work was: "On the fundamentals of beryl flotation"; Professor Mauricio was the first DSc student of the well know Brazilian Professor Antonio Eduardo Clark Peres, well known as Professor Toninho.

After finishing his DSc work, Professor Maurício has started to supervise students in extractive metallurgy, particularly, in subjects related to the fundamentals of surface chemistry, flotation and recycling. Away from these areas, he also developed several projects on mineral and environmental biotechnology applied to the flotation of specific Brazilian minerals and ores. Moreover, he well thought-out the use of hydrophobic strains and biomasses for metals uptake from liquid streams.

As a result of his research and efforts, he has been receiving many grants and support from CNPq, CAPES and Faperj (Brazilian research agencies) and from mining companies.

He was also appointed "CNPq Productivity Researcher" several times and is, at the moment, in the top level: 1A; moreover, he was appointed "Scientist of Rio de Janeiro" for several times by Faperj (The Rio de Janeiro State Research Foundation - Fundacao Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro).

Professor Maurício Leonardo Torem was also Editor-in-Chief of the well Elsevier Periodical – International Journal of Mineral Processing and is still member of the editorial board of prominent journals.

It is appropriate to point out that, during all these years, Professor Maurício L Torem has been playing an important role as an active member of national and international scientific and technical committees of congresses, workshops and seminars related to mineral processing, recycling and circular economy.

At the Pontifical Catholic University, he offered several courses on mineral processing, aqueous fundamentals and electometallurgy in undergraduate and graduate levels. He has also been involved with academic and administrative activities at PUC-Rio. Furthermore, supervised many graduate and undergraduate students. He published many articles in important scientific journals and conferences in his main research areas.

ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS
A round table discussion open to everyone interested will be organized at a specific date and time during the symposium. It will be a platform for high level representatives of various industries, technologies, and academic disciplines to freely discuss and debate all topics of this symposium, and identify positive and efficient pathways towards sustainability in industrial practices, technologies, and research.

You are cordially invited to actively participate in this symposium by submitting and presenting a paper, or by attending the round table. We look forward to meeting you in Panama, December 2023

CHAIRS

Dr. Florian Kongoli
CEO/President
FLOGEN Technologies
Canada, [Bio]

BIO of Florian Kongoli

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Dr. Florian Kongoli holds 3 degrees: a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Science/University of Montreal, Canada and a Doctor of Science Degree/Tohoku University, Japan. Since 1996 he is CEO of FLOGEN Technologies Inc.,(www.flogen.com) a Sustainable High Tech applied research institute
incorporated in Canada and USA that today have offices and representations in more than 15 Countries around the the world while carrying out high tech projects in more than 40 countries.
Since 2007 he is Chairman of FLOGEN STAR OUTREACH (www.flogen.org), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to (1) achieving sustainability through science and technology, (2) raising the profile of science and engineering in the society and (3) properly honoring scientists and engineers.
Since 2003 Dr Kongoli has been President of the Organizing Committee of the Sustainable Industrial Processing Summits (SIPS) held every year in several countries around the world with an average participation of 500 authors from academia, industry, government and the entrepreneurship world representing an average of 80 countries.
Dr Kongoli has about 25 years of rich scientific and applied technology experience through direct involvement in numerous invited engagements in all continents. He has managed, involved, or actively participated in about 200 projects, 40 types of reactors, 10 industries, in 45 countries and in 6 continents. Dr. Kongoli has published 113 books and more than 200 scientific articles. He has delivered in numerous countries around the world about 220 plenary, keynote and invited presentations as well as articles, technical reports and research presentations. He has served in many leadership positions in national and international organizations and in many Professional Award Councils such as the Industrial Achievement Award Committee of International Federation of Automatic Control. He is Editorial Board member of several International Journals.
He is an elected Honorary Member of the Lorraine Academy of Sciences and Elected Member of Euro Mediterranean Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was awarded in 2017 the title "The Environmental Tech CEO of the year 2017" by CEO-Monthly UK magazine. He was awarded Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of his contribution toward sustainable development through FLOGEN Sustainability Framework by Tomas Bata University in Zlin (Czech Republic)/Faculty of Applied Informatics. He is honorary Citizen of Rio de Janeiro and Laureate of Gold Medal of the City of Nancy, France. In 2022 he was honored by the Congressman elect of Rio de Janeiro State, Alan Lopes, who will propose to the State Congress to adopt FLOGEN Sustainability Framework developed by Dr. Florian Kongoli in the state law for evaluating any proposed public or private project in the state. Also, in 2022 he was invited to give the Opening Sustainability Plenary Lecture at the United Nation Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on 11 February 2022 about FLOGEN Sustainability Framework at the International Year of Glass 2022.
He has participated in business and government delegations in numerous countries accompanying Prime Ministers, Ministers and other government officials.
A more detailed biography can be found at: http://www.flogen.com/elt/pdf/Kongoli_Short-CV.pdf

www.flogen.org/

Dr. Georgios N. Anastassakis
Professor
National Technical U. of Athens (NTUA)
Greece, [Bio]

BIO of Georgios N. Anastassakis

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Georgios N. Anastassakis is Professor at National Technical University of Athens, School Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, in the field of Mineral Processing. He graduated from NTUA and got his Doctoral degree in 1989. He started his career in 1989 as university teaching-associate by contract (1989-92), employed in LARCO GMMSA Ferronickel Co. (1992-94), and elected Lecturer in NTUA in 1994. Since then, he was successively promoted to Assistant, Associate and first-rank Professor in 2009. He served as Vice-Rector of the School (2014-2020), Head of the Division of Metallurgy and Materials Technology (2010-14) and member of several academic administrative committees. He has been involved in more than 40 research projects. The results of his research have been presented in more than 75 papers, published in referred scientific journals, Congress Proceedings volumes, and chapters of international books. He has served as reviewer of approximately 45 international journals, several Congresses Proceedings volumes, and reviewer of international research proposals.
He is member in international editorial boards, and served as Editor of the Greek journal “Mineral Wealth” (1994-2012). He has been invited to give several lectures in foreign Universities, Associations, seminars and Symposiums and participated in several congresses, scientific meetings, and seminars. He served as National Representative of Greece in EU Coal and Steel Advisory Group-Steel Subgroup (2008-2010); Country Representative as Member of the Expert Group on Risk Management in the Extractive Sector (European Commission Directorate-General for Environment Waste Management & Secondary Materials) (2020-today); Country Representative as Member of EU Technical Advisory Group on Risk Management in the Extractive Sector (2020-today). He was also the Chairman of the XII Balkan Mineral Processing Congress (Delphi-Greece, 2007) and the editor of the proceedings. He is member of various professional and scientific bodies, among which: IMPC International Advisory Committee, Balkan Mineral Processing Congress (BMPC) Scientific Committee, Balkan Academy of Science on Mineral Technology BASMT, International Organizing Committee of the International Coal Preparation Congress (ICPC) (corresponding member), Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration Inc. (SME) (2000-2010), International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) (2000-2010), Scientific Advisory Board of MiMeR (Minerals and Metals Recycling) Research Center at Lulea University of Technology, Sweden (2002-4), etc.

www.flogen.org/

Dr. A Abhilash
Senior Princ. Scientist & Assoc. Prof.
CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory
India, [Bio]

BIO of A Abhilash

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Dr. Abhilash is working as Senior Principal Scientist & Group Leader, Secondaries and Resource Recycling Group; Metal Extraction and Recycling Division, CSIR- CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, India. He is also serving as Associate Professor to ACSIR, India.
Dr. Abhilash has published 97 papers in SCI Journals and Nat./Int. Conference Proceedings, and has 4 granted and 13 filed patents to his credit. He has edited 7 books published by Allied Publishers, India; LAP, Germany; and CRC Press, US; and contributed 13 chapters in books by national and international publishers. He has guided more than 60 students for Dissertation Thesis and at present engaged with 2 Ph.D. Students. Dr. Abhilash is engaged in the areas of hydrometallurgy-bioleaching of low-grade ores, concentrates, tailings, and waste management (industrial wastes, metal scraps, effluents, WEEE recycling, etc.) for extraction of base, precious and critical elements. He has been working towards the development of sustainable technologies for critical metal extraction from primary and secondary resources.

www.flogen.org/

Dr. Hanumantha Rao Kota
Emeritus Prof.
Norwegian Univ. of Sce & Techn (NTNU)
Norway, [Bio]

BIO of Hanumantha Rao Kota

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Hanumantha Rao Kota is an Emeritus Professor in Mineral Engineering at the Department of Geoscience and Petroleum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway and also at the School of Chemical Technology, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Bhubaneswar, India. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the School of Mineral Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, China. Prior to NTNU, he worked at the Division of Mineral Processing of Luleå University of Technology (LTU) in Luleå, Sweden, from 1985 to 2014 and since 2003 as a Professor of Mineral Processing. He has authored more than 185 scientific papers published in peer-reviewed high impact journals and international conference proceedings. Dr. Kota is cited among the World’s 2 percent best researchers by the Stanford University in 2021 and ranked 216 of total 27568 authors in the field of mining and metallurgy.
Dr. Rao Kota was the recipient of the Arthur F. Taggart Award for the year 2000 from the SME/AIME, USA, the Distinguished Foreign Scientist Award in 2009 from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India, and the Sartorius Chemcon distinguished speaker award in 2021 by the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, Calcutta, India. He was deputed to the European Commission, Directorate General-Research, Brussels, as Swedish National Expert and worked in the Unit of Industrial Technologies during 2001-2004.
Dr. Rao Kota’s major research activity is in the area of Applied Surface Science relevent to Mineral Processing Technology < http://www.ntnu.edu/employees/hanumantha.rao.kota >. His research interests include minerals processing and bioprocessing; surface and pulp chemistry of flotation; flotation of sulphide, industrial, silicate and iron minerals; dry tribo-electrostatic separation; molecular modelling; coal preparation, etc.

www.flogen.org/

Dr. Antonio Gutierrez Merma
Professor
Vale Inst. of Technology
Brazil, [Bio]

BIO of Antonio Gutierrez Merma

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Dr. Antonio G. Merma obtained his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the National University of San Agustin de Arequipa (Perú - 2004), where He developed studies regarding Circular Economy in Mineral Processing. He received his Master (2008) and Doctor (2012) degrees in Materials Engineering and Chemical and Metallurgical Processes from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro under the supervision of Prof. Maurício Leonardo Torem. After, he was a Postdoctoral fellow in bioprocessing for
mineral processing and a research engineer at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, where He has published extensively in the Mineral Bioprocessing and Environmental Remediation Areas. He has supervised several Master’s and Doctor’s students. He has chaired the “Lavra and Tratamento de Minerios” Technical Session at the 68° ABM annual congress. He worked (2021) as an invited Professor at the Process Engineering Department – National University of San Agustin de Arequipa (Perú).Actually, He has been working as aggregate Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro and as research fellow at the Vale Institute of Technology. Current research emphasizes the application of Circular Economy to mineral Processing, the Production of eco-friendly reagents for mineral industry, and the effluents treatments and wastes using electrochemical techniques.

www.flogen.org/

Dr. Erivelto Souza
Professor
Federal U. of São João Del Rei
Brazil, [Bio]

BIO of Erivelto Souza

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Prof. Erivelto Souza holds a PhD in Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, and is currently Assistant Professor of UFSJ and Head of Department of Technologies of Civil Engineering, Computation and Humanities. His expertise deals with metallurgy, materials, production, and process engineering.
To date, he owns four patents in waste recovery and treatment.

www.flogen.org/

Dr. Carlos Hoffmann Sampaio
Professor
U. Politècnica De Catalunya (UPC)
Spain, [Bio]

BIO of Carlos Hoffmann Sampaio

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Carlos Hoffmann Sampaio has obtained his degree in Mining Engineering and M.Sc. (Mineral Technology) at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Ph.D. in Mineral Processing at Institut Fuer Aufbereirung, RWTH-Aachen, Germany. Currently he is a Professor at Department d’Enginyeria Minera, Industrial i TIC, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Spain.
Prof. Sampaio was awarded grant for invited professorship at Université Gustave Eiffel, Nantes, France; École des Mines d'Alès, France; and Institut für Aufbereitung, RWTH-Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
Major areas of Interest: gravity concentration; ore treatment; waste recycling; and jigging.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5840-1614

www.flogen.org/

Dr. Rodrigo Souza
Adjunct Professor
Pontifical U. of Rio de Janeiro
Brazil, [Bio]

BIO of Rodrigo Souza

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Rodrigo Souza is currently serving as a professor (adjunct, tenured) at the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering (Deqm) of the Pontifífica Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio).He received his Dr.Eng. in Materials Engineering, Chemical and Metallurgical Processes, also from PUC-Rio in 2016. The focus of his research is related to Extractive Metallurgy and Environmental Sciences, mostly on Chemical Processes and Unit Operations for Solid Waste Treatment and Non-Ferrous Metals Extraction.

www.flogen.org/

Dr. Marley Maria Vellasco
Vice-Rector for Academic Matters
Pontifical Catholic U. of Rio de Janeiro
Brazil, [Bio]

BIO of Marley Maria Vellasco

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Marley Maria Bernardes Rebuzzi Vellasco received her BSc and MSc degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Brazil, in 1984 and 1987, respectively, and a PhD degree in Computer Science from the University College London (UCL) in 1992.
Dr. Vellasco is currently Head of the Electrical Engineering Department of PUC-Rio and of the Computational Intelligence and Robotics Laboratory (LIRA) of PUC-Rio. She is the author of four books and more than 45 papers in professional journals, 300 papers in conference proceedings and 15 book chapters in the area of soft computing and mahine learning. Her research interests include Neural Networks, Fuzzy Logic, Neuro-Fuzzy Systems, Neuro-Evolutionary models, Robotics,and Intelligent Agents, applied to decision support systems, pattern classification,time-series forecasting, control, optimization and Data Mining.

www.flogen.org/

Mr. Fernando Zeballos
Director de Proyectos Metalurgicos
Buenaventura Company
Peru, [Bio]

BIO of Fernando Zeballos

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Fernando Zeballos is a Chemical Engineer with a master’s degree in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro. He currently works as Metallurgical Projects Director at the Compañía de Minas Buenaventura in Peru.
Fernando is an experienced professional with more than 24 years of experience in studies, engineering and construction of mineral processing plants, performing in various positions as process engineering manager or projects manager.

www.flogen.org/

Dr. Jovica Sokolovic
Full Professor
U. of Belgrade - Technical Faculty in Bor
Serbia, [Bio]

BIO of Jovica Sokolovic

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Prof. dr Jovica Sokolović, University of Belgrade, Technical faculty in Bor, Serbia
Prof. Dr. Jovica Sokolović is a full professor at the Technical faculty in Bor, University of Belgrade on Department for Mineral and Recycling Technologies.
He received his PhD in mineral processing engineering from the University of Belgarde in 2012. His research interests are related to the field of mineral processing and recycling technologies particularly gravity and electromagnetic separation, coal processing, metal recycling and waste management, environmental protection and sustainable development, etc.
As an author and co-author, he has published more than 30 scientific papers in international and national journals and 130 papers in international and national conferences. He has co-edited 2 textbooks, 1 monograph, 1 chapter in a national monograph, and 9 Conference Proceedings.
He is a member of the Editorial Board of the journal " Physicochemical Problems of Mineral Processing", and since 2013 co-editor of “Journal of Mining and Metallurgy, Section A; Mining”. Also, Prof. Dr. Jovica Sokolović participated in several international and national projects.
Prof. Dr. Jovica Sokolović is a member of the Association of Innovators and Inventors of the City of Zaječar since 2008 and of the Society of Engineers and Technicians of DIT Zaječar since 2014. He won 4 awards at the national competition for the Best Technological Innovation (NTI).
He is married and the father of two children.

www.flogen.org/

Dr. Jayson Ripke
Chief Metallurgist
Doe Run
USA, [Bio]

BIO of Jayson Ripke

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S. Jayson Ripke, Ph.D., MMSA-QP, Chief Metallurgist with Doe Run’s Exploration & Development division has also been Manager R&D and Manager Technology Center Operations with Midrex Technologies, Inc. where he developed Midrex Green Hydrogen, VP – Technical with Cardero Iron Ore, and Chief Metallurgist at Cleveland-Cliffs’ Wabush Mines.
Education - He was educated at Michigan Technological University (MTU) with B.S. and M.S. in Metallurgical & Materials Engineering and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering; Dissertation: Advances in Iron Ore Pelletization by Understanding Bonding and Strengthening Mechanisms.
He has been an active member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration for the past 25 years, he was Chaired their Mineral & Metallurgical Processing (MPD) Division in 2021, and will serve on their Board of Directors from 2023-2025.
He has 60 publications, 17 in peer-reviewed journals with 497 citations.
His Key Awards are:
- MTU Distinguished Academy of Chemical Engineering, 2015.
- Arthur F. Taggart Award for the best SME publication of 2012 entitled: New approach to developing the optimal mineral processing flowsheet; Mining Engineering, March.
- 2005 MTU Outstanding Young Alumni Award; only 1-2 awarded per year
- The 2003 SME MPD Outstanding Young Engineer Award

www.flogen.org/