Stream

Funding body: BMFTR – German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space

Project staff: Anna Wuschke, Trung Anh Nguyen

Grant Number: 033R445A

Project Management Agency: Projektträger Jülich

Funding: Mar 01, 2026 – Feb 28, 2029 (36 months)

Summary of the overall project:

The research project STREAM – “Structure-oriented development of energy-efficient processes for resource-conserving primary raw material extraction through new processing and modelling approaches” develops new concepts for the energy-efficient and selective processing of primary raw materials. The project starts from the observation that ores show strong local variations in microstructure and mineralogical phase composition, while conventional mineral processing routes rarely adapt their operating conditions to these fluctuations. STREAM therefore combines structure-based ore characterization, innovative comminution and flotation technologies, soft sensors, and hybrid models linking physics-based approaches with machine learning. The overarching goal is to design and optimize mineral processing plants and processes in real time so that energy demand and wear are reduced while valuable mineral recovery is increased, especially in the processing of gold and copper ores. The developed methods and technologies are integrated into a continuous flowsheet simulation and validated under realistic conditions in order to demonstrate their industrial transferability.

Goals and tasks of iPAT

• Structural, mineralogical and mechanical characterization of different ore types in order to determine relevant breakage parameters and material properties
• Development of hybrid models combining machine learning with physical laws to reliably predict breakage and comminution behaviour
• Establishment of a dynamic flowsheet simulation together with DyssolTEC and development of a digital twin of the Argo high-pressure roller mill
• Validation of the developed models and simulation methods at laboratory and pilot scale, including assessment of the process chain with regard to energy efficiency, recovery and CO₂ reduction

Project partners

Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR)
Argo IPS GmbH
ERZLABOR Advanced Solutions GmbH
DyssolTEC GmbH

Associated partners

Glencore
Comminution Reimagined AB
QKR Corporation Limited
STEINERT GmbH