The RM and REE Association took part in the V International Symposium "Fundamental issues of geology, mining, separation of rare, rare earth, noble metals and the creation of modern materials based on them" (REE-2022), which was held from September 16 to 18 in Kazakhstan, in Almaty.
The Symposium traditionally acts as a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience between representatives of science and industry, brings together leading experts to discuss innovations and problems that require new solutions. An important goal of the symposium is to establish cooperation and fruitful interaction between industry participants and conclude new agreements between them.
Thus, in 2021, following the results of the IV symposium “Fundamental issues of geology, mining, separation of rare, rare earth, noble metals and the creation of modern materials based on them”, an international consortium for rare earth metals was created, aimed at solving problems of expanding the mineral resource base, extraction and separation of rare, rare earth and precious metals, as well as the creation of modern materials based on them.
This year, leading Kazakhstani, Russian and foreign specialists from industrial, scientific and scientific and educational organizations working in the field of geology, mining and processing of rare, rare earth and precious metals were invited to participate in the symposium.
The symposium program included 8 thematic blocks dedicated to various areas and aspects of the development of the RM and REE industry, including:
- Problems of exploration and processing of ores of rare and rare earth elements, noble metals;
- Methods and approaches to the separation and isolation of especially pure rare and rare earth elements;
- Industrial technologies for the extraction, separation and isolation of rare, rare earth and precious metals;
- Materials and products based on rare and rare earth elements;
- Economics, automation and information technology in the production of rare, rare earth and precious metals;
- Environmental aspects in the production and processing of rare, rare earth and precious metals;
- Production of uranium fuel for nuclear power plants;
- Production of fluorine-containing compounds and their application.
The rich program of the symposium consisted of a plenary session, round tables and a youth scientific section.
The plenary session was opened with a welcoming speech: Zhakupova A.D., Dr. Philol. Sciences, Vice-Rector for Research and Interaction with the Region Sh. Ualikhanov, Republic of Kazakhstan; Ryspanov N.B., President of the National Academy of Mining Sciences, Doctor of Engineering. Sciences, academician, honored guest of the Symposium; Dimukhamedov R.R., Chairman of the RM and REE Association; Sachkov V.I., Dr. of Chem. sciences, head. Innovation and Technology Center SFTI TSU, Deputy. chairman of the scientific committee.
Scientists and industrialists made presentations in which they spoke about the importance and great prospects for the development of the RM and REE industry, discussed traditional and presented the latest developments in the field of mining and processing technologies.
Galieva Zhanetta Nikolaevna, Ph.D. tech. sciences, deputy Director General for Science
LIT LLC, within the framework of the event, presented a report on the topic: “SEPARATION
REM IN CENTRIFUGAL EXTRACTORS. DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT, CREATION OF THE PRODUCTION OF INDIVIDUAL REM AND PRODUCTS BASED ON THEM” with a detailed description of the separation plan and technology: from justifying the choice of extractant, calculating separation parameters, determining the degree of purity of each REM and, as a result, calculating the required number of extractors in each stage .
Kuznetsova Svetlana Anatolyevna, Associate Professor of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry, TSU, in her report touched upon the use of cerium in sunscreens as one of the promising areas. Unlike titanium oxide and zinc oxide, which have certain health risks, cerium dioxide sol is non-genotoxic and has antioxidant properties, while not inferior to titanium oxide in terms of sun protection. The main difficulty lies in achieving nanoscale fineness - it is necessary to make zirconium oxide particles 30 times thinner than a hair. This development is currently at the experimental stage.
In addition, the speakers touched upon the issues of import substitution and state support, problems and prospects for the development of the production of rare and rare earth metals.
At the moment, the Government of Kazakhstan is working on measures to stimulate the development of science in the mining industry. There is already a law in place requiring every mining company to spend 1% of its revenue on R&D. On September 1, 2022, in order to increase the effectiveness of tax incentives, the President of Kazakhstan instructed to introduce mechanisms to reduce or exempt from corporate income tax on profits aimed at technological modernization and scientific development. Such an approach could be considered in Russian legislation as a stimulus for the development of certain industries.
Also, within the framework of the symposium, a number of round tables were held on the problems of exploration and processing of ores of rare and rare earth metals and important aspects of the production and sale of materials and finished products based on RM and REE. The most important in this regard were the issues of the effectiveness of new technologies and methods in terms of profitability and environmental friendliness of the work of enterprises for the extraction and processing of RM and REE.
Ryspanov Nurlan Bektasovich, President of the National Academy of Mining Sciences, Doctor of Engineering. Sciences, aĸademiĸ, in his report touched upon the current topic of today - the disposal of tailings. N.B. Ryspanov spoke about the primary task of checking old tailings with enrichment sludge, which contain significant concentrations of metals by today's standards (for example, vanadium and titanium). The main idea is to propose to leach metals directly into the tailings. Now scientists are focusing on ash and slag dumps for the possibility of extracting vanadium, gallium, scandium, REM.
The symposium ended with an honorary award of the participating scientists who made a significant contribution to the development of geology, mining, separation of rare, rare earth and noble metals.
According to the results of the symposium, Galiyeva Zhanetta Nikolaevna was awarded a silver medal.
Selected works of participants will be recommended for publication in a special issue of the journal cited in the Scopus database.
The purpose of the Symposium is to increase the level and intensity of information exchange in the scientific community, the formation and development of effective communication tools of an intra- and interdisciplinary nature, contributing to an increase in the effectiveness of ongoing research;
Development and establishment of close interaction between the scientific community and potential consumers of the results - enterprises of the real sector of the economy, ensuring the influx of young professionals in the field of research and development.