The following personnels will give a welcoming speech to Anastassakis International Symposium: 

1. Prof. Dr. Ioannis Chatjigeorgiou, Rector of National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Greece
2. Dr. Peter Tzeferis, Mineral Raw Materials General Directorate, Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy, on behalf of: Ms ALEXANDRA SDOUKOU, Deputy Minister of Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy
3. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Spyridon Papaefthymiou, Deputy Dean, School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering NTUA, Greece 
4. Mr. Ioannis Michalakis, M.Sc., Head of the Regional Branch of Crete, Hellenic Survey of Geology and Mineral Exploration H.S.G.M.E.
5. Mr. Christos Kavalopoulos, General Director of Greek Mining Enterprises Association

Following a brief description of the background, a life timeline of industrial and scientific activity for 35 years will be presented. First, there will be presented the scientific work done, experiences gained and memories of working for 2 years as engineer in LARCO GMM SA Ferronickel Company. 

The scientific activity at National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) will follow along with the scientific achievements, the experience gained as visiting researcher in Columbia University, evaluator of the Research Excellence Center of MiMer, member of Scientific Bodies and Committees in the field of Mineral Processing, etc.

The establishment during thirty-five years as professor, researcher and Scientist of many collaborations with the best universities and professors in the world and lifetime lessons will be presented.

Xanthates is a family of highly efficient collectors, widely used in the industry of sulphide minerals flotation, which, however is considered toxic and hazardous to the environment, and can pose significant risks to aquatic life and human health. The need for its replacement by other more environmental friendly reagents is of vital importance towards a more sustainable extractive industry.

Organosolv lignin  is natural, biodegradable material that possesses a low carbon footprint compared to the conventional reagents. The study investigates the potentiality of the use of organosolv lignin as collector in the flotation of metalic sulphide minerals (sphalerite, pyrite/arsenopyrite) from greek mixed sulphides. Critical parameters under investigation was the collector dosage and composition, while the efficiency of the collector formula was evaluated according to the achieved selectivity, grade and recovery. To simulate and evaluate the performance of the optimum formula under realistic operating conditions, locked cycle flotation tests were carried out and the results are discussed.

Ferrous ores play a remarkable role in the development of human activities, over the decades; iron is of the most common and crucial elements in construction field; from household appliance to automotive and aerospace equipment [1-2]. This statement is highly supported, by the fact that the iron content in ferrous ores has been diminished throughout the years. With that being said, it was considered of high importance to explore new physicochemical methods of separation and recovery of pure iron from hematite ores with significantly low percentages in iron [3].

In this scientific paper, the separation and recovery of fine iron particles from artificial mixtures of hematite and limestone is being studied, as the demand for iron has become more and more imperative. Limestone is met in great percentages in hematite ores as gangue mineral, which led to its usage in the artificial textures. Sodium oleate and dodecylamine are used as collector reagents in the testing procedure. 

The testing procedure includes preliminary tests in single minerals, in order to define the most effective operation points of the aforementioned mixture (pH, collector dosage, conditioning time). Afterwards, hematite and limestone are both subjected to flotation tests separately, in order to determine their behavior, in presence of sodium oleate and dodecylamine, as collector reagents. The results are really promising, as hematite’s recovery is particularly high; 84.5% and 93.5% using sodium oleate and dodecylamine, respectively. On the other hand, limestone in single-minerals tests has remarkable behavior, as the usage of sodium oleate leads to 93.5% recovery; while 98.5% recovery is achieved by using dodecylamine as collector reagent.

The continuous rapid growth in the use of lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) for electric vehicles (EVs) and portable electronic devices has resulted in even increasing demands for lithium and other metals related to their production. This, in turn, has led to the generation of continuously increasing and alarming number of spent LiBs. [1] Spent LiBs contain heavy metals like cobalt, nickel, and manganese, thereby posing a significant environmental hazard if not managed accordingly [2]. However, these metals along with lithium are considered valuable and their recovery is deemed beneficial. Recycling of spent LiBs helps minimize pollution from their toxic components, while simultaneously recovering the contained valuable metals. [3] This paper provides a comprehensive view on the current state of LiB recycling technologies for recovering valuable metals, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each approach in terms of efficiency and feasibility. Specifically, pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes, as well as direct recycling [4] are thoroughly discussed and evaluated, addressing problems and challenges. Moreover, the current and future market trends and regulatory landscape will be presented and examined. Additionally, recent advancements and prospects in the field are discussed.