BIO of Juergen Antrekowitsch

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Juergen Antrekowitsch studied metallurgy at the University of Leoben. He earned his doctor degree in 2004 in the field of recycling of steel mill residues. Afterwards he was employed as postdoctoral research fellow at the Chair of Nonferrous Metallurgy, University of Leoben in the field of recycling of Zn-, Pb- and Fe-containing residues. Since 2010 he is associate professor at the Chair of Nonferrous Metallurgy and since January 2011 he is managing director of the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Optimization and Biomass Utilization in Heavy Metal Recycling, a research unit which works between University and industry building the bridge between fundamental research and industrial development. In parallel he works as a consultant in the field of nonferrous metals recycling.

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BIO of Alexandros Charitos

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Univ. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexandros Charitos studied mechanical engineering at the National Technical University of Athens, with a specialization in energy process engineering. He completed his diploma thesis at VGB Powertech e.V. in Essen in 2004. Since 2005 Prof. Charitos worked as a scientific co-worker at the Institute of Combustion and Power Plant Technology (IFK) of the University of Stuttgart where he completed his Ph.D. thesis titled “Experimental Characterization of the Calcium Looping Process for CO2 Capture” in 2013. From 2011 he worked as a Product Engineer and later as a Senior Product Engineer for Outotec (today Metso) in Oberursel close to Frankfurt am Main. Prof. Charitos was involved in the process engineering, commissioning and auditing of sulfide concentrate roaster fluidized beds and alumina calciners. In 2014, he was awarded the price of the Gerlinger Foundation of the University of Stuttgart for his Ph.D. thesis and in 2015 the Outotec technology award as a member of the commissioning team of the Codelco DMH de-arsenifying copper concentrate roaster. In 2019 he joined the Department of Mining and Materials Engineering of McGill University in Montreal, Canada as an assistant professor. In March 2020 he joined the TU Bergakademie Freiberg as a Professor for High-Temperature Processes in Metallurgy. In October 2020, Prof. Charitos became Institute Director of the Institute of Nonferrous Metallurgy and Purest Materials. The research interests of Prof. Charitos include waste stream valorization, End of Life Product recycling, process decarbonization as well process digitalization. Prof. Charitos is committed to attracting young people to our scientific field and to the education of cutting-edge nonferrous metallurgists. He holds 35 scopus listed publications that have been cited more than 800 times.

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BIO of Claudia Oosterhof

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Dr.-Ing. Claudia Andrea Oosterhof studied metallurgy at the Technical University of Aachen, with a specialization in non-ferrous metallurgy. She completed her diploma thesis in 2006 and her PhD in 2013. Claudia is an experienced Senior Corporate Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the mining & metals industry. Skilled in Electrochemical Engineering, Metallurgy, Process Design, Project Management, and industrial Research and Development (R&D). Strong business development professional with a diploma (VWA) in Business Administration and Management.

Since beginning of 2022 Claudia is working at Aperam where she currently holds the role of Director Development at Aperam’s Recyco plant (Isbergues, France). Recyo is one of the main actors in the field of pyrometallurgical recycling of (dangerous) wastes located at the hub of stainless steel making in Europe. Recyco is transforming Aperam flue dusts as well as a multitude of Ni, Cr, and /or Mo containing (dangerous) wastes into alloys used in Aperam products. Due to the lower CO2 footprint of Recyco alloys compared to primary materials, Recyco plays an important role in Aperam's ambition to produce climate neutral steel. Claudia and her team lead the ongoing transformation of Recyco from a flue dust re-melter to a multi metal / multi waste recycling unit producing a broad variety of different alloys based on Aperam’s needs.
In parallel she is also acting as VP Process for ExUrban limited, supporting the design of the world’s first zero waste circular economy recycling facility, specifically designed to recycle electronic scrap (e-scrap).
Starting in 2017 to the end of 2021 Claudia worked as Director Research and Development at Aurubis, supporting the development of Aurubis’ Multi Metal strategy and translation into technical innovation plans. Her main focus was on Recycling and Precious Metals related topics, the identification of potential business opportunities and translation into projects (including e.g. quantification of business cases, engineering, production implementation).

Claudia started her industrial career in 2010 at AGOSI, Germany a precious metals recycler belonging to the Umicore group where she acted as project leader for a broad variety of pyro and hydrometallurgical projects in multiple countries. In the course of 2012 she moved to Belgium to join Umicore research as (senior) project leader, supporting especially the Hoboken plant in process optimization and strategic development topics.
From 2006-2010 she worked as a scientific engineer at the Institute of nonferrous metals recycling, where she completed her Ph.D. thesis in 2013.

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BIO of Michael Stelter

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Michael Stelter, born in 1956, studied chemistry at the University Darmstadt, including chemical technology. After his Diploma Thesis he worked at the university for his Ph.D. in the field of intermetallic compounds and crystal structure analysis, awarding his Ph.D as Dr.-Ing. in 1987. His industrial career started at Norddeutsche Affinerie (NA) (now Aurubis) in Hamburg, becoming soon deputy director of the R&D department. During this time, among other things, he developed new highly innovative processes for the production of copper chemicals and for waste water treatment, both international patented. From 1992 until 1994 additionally he was appointed to the board of directors of Transvaal Alloys Pty., South Africa, a subsidiary of NA. From 1994 to 1997 he moved from metallurgy to recycling, into the fields of electro-plating, recycling technologies of process water and closed circuits developing new industrial processed applying membrane technology first time in this field.

1997 he was appointed Full Professor and director of the institute for Nonferrous Metallurgy and Purest Materials of TU Bergakademie Freiberg, the oldest academic institution for mining and metallurgy worldwide, as professor for "Technology of Nonferrous Metals and Materials Recycling".

Because of his expertise he was appointed as Main Technical Consultant of Expert Services for the “German Federal Ministry for Education and Research” (BMBF) in the domain of environmental protection technology.

Twice he became elected as Vice-Rector of TU Bergakademie Freiberg, from 2000 - 2003 as vice-rector for Education and Structural Development, later from 2010 - 2013 as vice-rector for Research. In this time he started an initiative to establish eit-RawMaterials, an important EU funded platform for research and innovation in the complete field of raw materials up to recycling processes (https://eitrawmaterials.eu/). In addition together with colleagues he was initiating the later in 2011 founded Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), emerging from a joint application by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, to which the HIF belongs today, and the TU Bergakademie Freiberg.

In the research area he focused on processes for industrial application, directly linked to basic research in metallurgy. Research focused on electrolysis processes in electro-refining and electro-winning. Some of the new developed processes directly were introduced into industrial application.

A second area of research at the institute became the development and production of semiconductor mono-crystals, entire research was linked directly to industry, too.

So he won three times the project calls on research, each 2 to 3 years, of Sponsor Group Electrorefining, an association of the most important copper producers worldwide. He consequently led the Institute to a global player in Nonferrous Metallurgy. Now having technical equipment not to be found somewhere else. So the institute is running the only TSL-pilot plant at a university in the world.

There has been worldwide cooperation with mostly industrial partners from more than 40 countries. Therefore a third-party funding for the institute was important, it was constantly between 1.5 and 2 Mio € per year.

Prof. Stelter gave lectures in many countries like India, Poland, Canada, USA, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mexico etc.

His scientific output over the time have been nearly 200 highly ranked publications, leading to about 1500 citations. He won the “Kaiserpfalz-Preis der Metallurgie” in 2014, the highest endowed prize in Nonferrous Metallurgy in the world. In the same year he won the “Deutscher Rohstoffeffizienz Preis” (Efficient Use of Raw Materials and Natural Resources) doped by the “German Federal Ministry for Economy and Energy”.

Being member of the German “Society of Metallurgists and Miners” (GDMB) since 1997 Prof. Stelter was member of the presidium from 2004 to 2023. From 2007 to 2018 he was vice president of GDMB, from 2018 to 2021 president. He has been part of the organizing committees of 15 international conferences worldwide and organized some more German conferences.

He is particularly proud of the fact that he was able to give more than 200 metallurgists a good education and training for their successful professional life, even in this small area of science and technology of nonferrous metallurgy.

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BIO of Zhi Wang

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Ing. Wang Zhi is Vice General Manager and Chief Engineer at Dongying Fangyuan Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd., and has had 15 years of experience in the nonferrous metallurgical science industry. She specializes mostly in: the analysis of nonferrous metallurgical technologies; the economic index, development, and innovation of nonferrous metal smelting and comprehensive recovery technology; the analysis of smelting offgas and slag and development of its treatment technology. She has led to completion more than 10 national, provincial and ministerial major S&T projects, as one of leaders and principals of “National Sci-tech Support Plan”, ”National 863 Program”, National and International S&T Cooperation Project and Industrialization Demonstration Project of “National Torch Plan”. Led scientific research team to focus on scientific and technological research in the field of copper smelting and implement the industrialization construction of many achievements such as two-step copper smelting process and scrap copper smelting technology of Dongying Fangyuan in the nonferrous industry. Lead the technical team to provide the technical service for 20 companies and smelters domestic and overseas. Acquaired 22 patents and all of which realized achievement transformation. Won the 1st prize of China Nonferrous Metal Industrial Technology Invention Award, two 1st grade prizes and one 2nd grade prize of China Nonferrous Metals Industry Science and Technology Award, one 1st grade prize and one 3rd grade prize of Shandong Province Science and Technology Progress Award and named the Model Worker of National Nonferrous industry and the Outstanding Scientific and Technological Workers of China Nonferrous Metals Industry, etc. Additionally, she is Vice Chairman of Industrial Furnace Branch of China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, as well as Member of the 2nd Council of China Renewable Resources IndustryTechnical Innovation Strategic Alliance.

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