MRIWA WEBINARS: Critical Minerals & Tailings Valorisation Webinar

Join MRIWA for the next instalment of the Critical Minerals & Tailings Webinar Series, featuring leading researchers from SINTEF, one of Europe’s largest independent research organisations and a global leader in applied research and innovation.

As demand for critical minerals continues to grow, the industry faces increasing pressures to maximise resource efficiency, recover valuable materials from waste streams, and develop sustainable pathways for industrial by-products. This webinar will explore how innovation across the minerals value chain is helping to build a more circular and resilient resources sector.

Presenters will share international research and practical examples spanning critical raw materials recovery, industrial symbiosis, circular resource use, and the valorisation of mining and metallurgical by-products. Topics will include the recovery of critical and strategic minerals from waste streams and end-of-life products, approaches to zero-emission metal production, and opportunities to utilise industrial by-products in construction materials.

The webinar will feature insights from Ana Maria Martinez, Chief Scientist and leader of SINTEF’s strategic initiative on minerals and critical raw materials; Casper van der Eijk, Centre Director of the Zero Emissions Metal Production Research Centre; and Tobias Danner, Senior Research Scientist specialising in the utilisation of industrial by-products and alternative construction materials.

This session will be valuable for mining and processing professionals, researchers, government stakeholders, and anyone interested in advancing sustainable resource development, circular economy outcomes, and critical minerals value chain.

SPEAKERS

Dr Ana Maria Martinez

Ana Maria Martinez is Chief Scientist at SINTEF, where she has worked for the last 20 years. Currently she leads SINTEF’s corporate strategic area on minerals and critical raw materials. She holds PhD in Chemistry from the University of Valladolid, Spain, and has more than 20 years of experience in developing innovative and environmentally friendly processes for the recovery of critical and strategic raw materials from waste streams and end-of-life products (urban mining), with wide experience in industrial metal production processes.

Dr Casper van der Eijk

Casper van der Eijk is senior researcher at SINTEF. Caper has a M.SC. degree in Material Science and Engineering from Delft University of Technology (1994. Besides that, he has a PhD in Metallurgy from The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (1999). He is the centre director for the “Zero Emissions Metal Production” research centre in Norway, and will present examples of projects devoted to the valorisation of industrial side streams and recovery of critical raw materials from them.

Dr Tobias Danner

Tobias Danner is Senior Research Scientist at SINTEF. He has a master’s degree in applied Mineralogy (FAU Erlangen, Germany) and a PhD in Materials Science (NTNU, Norway) on the utilisation of calcined clays as cement replacement. His research interests cover the chemistry and mineralogy of cement and concrete in general, alternative raw materials (reactive SCMs, fillers, aggregate) and binders, hydration reactions and durability mechanisms of concrete including self-healing. He will present specifically selected projects focused on the potential and challenges of utilising products (e.g. from mining or metallurgical industry) in construction products.

DETAILS:

• Date: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
• Time: 3pm – 4pm AWST
• REGISTER HERE