The Resources Innovation Center Leoben at Montanuniversität Leoben is home to the university’s international partnerships in the areas of sustainable science, education and industrialization. Our vision is to make a climate friendly, sustainable future in the raw materials sector.
After much fine-tuning, the first edition of MiReBooks in printed form has been printed and is now available. These books will take mining education to a higher level by incorporating VR and AR elements into teaching!
The new research center for hydrogen and carbon in Leoben ceremoniously opened its doors on October 17, 2024.
Rector Peter Moser and Vice-Rector Helmut Antrekowitsch emphasized the key role of the new research center for the future development of energy technologies and the importance of cooperation between science and industry. Advanced process technologies are being developed here that will make it possible to provide large quantities of hydrogen for industry. At the same time, the entire value-added cycle of hydrogen and carbon – from production, transportation and storage through to application – is being researched.
Another focus is on researching the sustainable use of carbon in the areas of agriculture, construction and high-tech applications, such as hydrogen storage.
Educated at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (study of environment and bioresource management, in the faculty of climate), the research topic of sustainable production and consumption brought Alex to Leoben. Due to his expertise in environmental footprints and holistic life cycle assessment, he leads SDG 12 (sustainable production and consumption) in the Austria-wide sustainability flagship project UniNEtZ, where he also acts as elected committee chair. His core area of interest is to capture, describe and evaluate sustainability in a holistic way.
In his spare time Alex is currently writing his PhD thesis: “Sustainability of products, the great unknown.”
A holistic assessment of steel should provide transparency about the impact of the product and help decision makers to make sustainable decisions.
Innovative Digital Sustainable Aggregates System
Duration: 06/2021 – 05/2025
The European aggregates extractive industry is, by far, the biggest non-energy extractive industries in the EU (Eurostat 2017): 26000 estimated extraction sites: 81,26% of the total EU mining and quarrying sites, 3000 million ton extracted and supplied to the EU internal market, ~ 220000 persons directly employed. Hence the EU faces the need of sustainable and competitive future for European Raw Materials specially in the construction sector due to a greater anticipated demand for products linked to human well-being, health, safety and sustainability. DIGIECOQUARRY will exploit the aggregates industry´s great potential through a coordinated approach towards construction materials management with the final goal of reducing EU external supply dependency as well as leading an efficient use of resources.
DIGIECOQUARRY will develop systems, technology and processes for integrated digitisation and automation real-time process control, to be piloted in 5 EU quarries with the target of improving health and safety conditions for workers. The pilot campaigns will lead to improved efficiency of processes maximizing quarry resources and sustainable management of water, energy emissions, minimised environmental impact and expanding the EU aggregates and construction business. Coupling Artificial Intelligence approaches with cyber-physical systems and the Internet of Things concept, make Industry 4.0 approach possible and the smart sustainable extractive site a reality. All phases of the process, from extraction to the end user are covered by DIGIECOQUARRY, ensuring communication with policy makers, social acceptance activities and international cooperation with Colombia and South Africa to share knowledge and best practices. The development of an innovative Intelligent Quarrying System (IQS) will increase the sustainable supply of minerals for the construction sector as well as enabling the sustainable extraction of EU´s mineral resources in existing and new quarries.
PROMISE is an international 24 months Joint Master’s program in Sustainable Mineral and Metal Processing Engineering, aiming at advancing the mineral processing sector into a sustainable future. Up to 84 Erasmus Mundus scholarships can be awarded, divided between four intakes.
Applications for the third intake are possible until 31st December 2023.
This program is ideally suited for Bachelors of mineral processing, mining, metallurgical and chemical engineering and other closely related studies.
The program offers full scholarship of EUR 1400 per month, additionally it covers all tuition fees at the four partner universities: University of Oulu (Finland), Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria), University of Zagreb (Croatia) and Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María (Chile).
More information on https://www.master-promise.eu/
Apply here: https://www.master-promise.eu/how-to-apply/
