Raw Materials: from Prospection to Recycling

The course aims at providing advanced knowledge of: 1) the most important mineral commodities of the modern market, including the "critical raw materials", the mineral prospecting protocols based on geochemical-mineralogical approaches, and the most common mineral processing methods, and 2) the basic concepts of circular economy and sustainability.

Students should demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the subject matters and, with the support of advanced textbooks, reach a level of proficiency including leading edge aspects of this field. By the end of this course, students are expected to master the essentials of the most important mineral commodities of the modern market (including the CRM), the mineral prospecting protocols based on geochemical-mineralogical approaches, and the most common mineral processing methods, along with the basic concepts of circular economy and sustainability. Students should develop the ability to gather and interpret data to make independent judgements, being also aware of the relevant economic, social, scientific or ethical consequences.