Wir in Sachsen 2012 - Wirtschaftsjournal

Wirtschaftsjournal: The sustainable supply
and use of raw materials will be the central
challenge when it comes to future economic
growth. How do you assess the Saxon mining
industry as an economic factor?
Prof. Carsten Drebenstedt: Without raw ma terials,
there is no industrial progress – it’s as simple as that.
In one car alone, there are approximately five tons
of raw materials: iron ore, lead, copper ore, zinc. The
global demand for raw materials has increased enormously.
This has lead to shortages and to an in crease
in the price of raw materials, which has been clearly
evident since 2005/06. Therefore, the use of domestic
raw materials represents an important factor. In this
respect, Saxony – with a raw materials industry that
is steeped in tradition and is efficient and innovative
– has an extremely advantageous starting position.
We are now without doubt in a position where we
can effectively and economically mine local raw materials,
which 25 years ago was no longer the case.
WJ: So what does Saxony have to offer in
terms of recoverable domestic raw materials?
Prof. Drebenstedt: The main raw material is Saxon
brown coal, which is used for the generation of power
and as a raw material within the chemicals industry.
The construction materials industry also benefits from
the high quality of the sands and gravels mined in
the north of Saxony and of the stone mined in the
south. These make possible the realization of construction,
civil engineering and infrastructural projects
using the region’s own raw material reserves.
In the central area of Saxony, special clays are mined,
e.g. kaolin, which can be processed to form highquality
products. For example, domestic clay is requir -
ed for Meissen porcelain. Kaolin from Saxony is much
sought-after in Italy, where it is required for the production
of tiles, which can then subsequently be purchased
within our own construction markets. In the
Erzgebirge, there are several ore deposits and a rich
supply of fluorspar and feldspar. In future, copper
extraction at the regional border with Brandenburg
could be of significance. Here Saxon companies are
involved in the investigation of deposit sites. In the
Leipzig/Delitzsch area, there are deposit sites with
rare earths. At present these are neither undergoing
a systematic process of investigation nor being mined;
however, it is good to know that we have these raw
materials. If necessary we would be capable of res -
ponding to the situation on the global market.
WJ: So, do you foresee a renaissance of the
Saxon mining industry?
Prof. Drebenstedt: Saxony never stopped being a
mining region. Now it is a matter of covering our
raw material requirements with primary raw materials,
as well as maintaining a high level of recycling.
The Saxon mining industry can make a contribution
here. The raw materials, primarily in the Erzgebirge,
are far from being exhausted. Overall there are approx.
150 known deposit sites. Furthermore, there are other
interesting materials that have a role to play in the
economy, in addition to those already mentioned.
Here I am thinking of wolfram or lithium, which is
required for energy storage.
WJ: Of what significance are the already mentioned
Saxon ore and spar deposits?
Prof. Drebenstedt: The Erzgebirge region is, for
one thing, a uranium province. This is a raw material
that will in future be available to us. However, the
Erzgebirge is also a tin province. On a global level,
tin does not occur particularly frequently, and is even
more seldom found in primary deposits, as may well
be the case here in the Altenberg or the other Erzgebirge
deposit sites. And on top of this, we are also
a spar province. Fluorspar and heavy spar are infilling
minerals that occur frequently and in good quality
in our region. Fluorspar is in extremely high glo-
C O M PA N I E S A N D P R O D U C T S
Saxony is a region that is rich in raw
materials
Wirtschaftsjournal interviewed Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.mult. Carsten Drebenstedt,
Institute Director and Chair of Mining and Quarrying
bal demand and is exported by a select few countries.
Therefore, the fluorspar mines in the town of
Niederschlag, at which mining activities are currently
starting up, are extremely important. We expect that
production will commence there within the next few
months.
WJ: How is the TU Bergakademie Freiberg getting
involved in Saxon mining?
Prof. Drebenstedt: The Bergakademie Freiberg is
involved, for example, on the research side – when
it comes to investigating the usability of deposit sites.
Ore minerals must be characterized in order to determine
which mineral components have merged together
and to then develop economically justifiable
processing technologies. The Institute for Mining
makes a contribution in the area of selective extraction,
meaning that the costs for the processing of
smaller deposit sites, as are typical in the Erzgebirge,
can be kept to a minimum. Our tasks also in clude
the management of safety issues so that mining can
be carried out in such a way that hazards to people
and the environment are avoided. We are involved
in several projects in the Erzgebirge, working alongside
the Chair for Economic Geology, for example,
and involving processing machinery, processing technology,
economics and deposit site modeling. One
special feature of our university is the research and
training mine, in which applied developments can
be made.
WJ: Saxony also scores points with research
and development in the field of raw material
extraction and evaluation.
Prof.. Drebenstedt: With technologies such as this,
whereby mining is realized in a modern, sustainable
and environmentally friendly way, Germany has the
potential to continue as a global market leader. Here
it is a matter of guaranteeing the use of intelligent
mining with low energy consumption, low levels of
wear and a high level of safety. This is where I view
the role of the Bergakademie and the Free State of
Saxony. Investments in future technologies, in education
and in research are preparing the way for
sustainable mining in Saxony.
Interview: Wolfgang Baltzer
WIR in SACHSEN 2012 47