DAAD Project: “Biotechnology In Mining – Integration of New Technologies into Educational Practice”

The project has been nominated as a candidate for “Best Practice MINTinternational”

(https://club-minternational.de/) which acknowledges innovative projects of unirersities for promoting international cooperation in mathematics, informatics, natural and engineering science.

Data of the Project implementation:

01.01.2015 – 31.12.2018

Universities – partners:

Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (TU BAF, Freiberg, Germany) and National Technical University “Dnipro Polytechnic” (NTU DP, former National Mining University, Dnipro, Ukraine)

Source of finance:

DAAD

Coordinators of the Project:

Prof. Dr. Hermann Heilmeier (TU BAF)

Dr. Iryna Klimkina (NTU DP)

Prof. Oleksand Kovrov (NTU DP)

The main OBJECTS of the Project are:

• implementation new educational modules entitled “BIOMINIG” into NTU DP curriculum for students in the area of specialty “Ecology and Environmental Technologies” and “Mining”;

• creation of the primary laboratory on Biotechnology in Mining;

• double supervising master thesis research and defense by professors from TUBAF and NTU DP;

• annually organized the series of educational excursions on industrial objects, round tables and seminars for expert discussion on the topic of biomining;

• organization of the international scientific conference on applied biotechnology for mining in 2018.

Short introduction

Biomining covers a wide range of environmentally friendly “green” technologies in mining based on bioleaching processes, biological treatment of mine waters, bacterial desulphurization of coal, phytoremediation of contaminated areas, phytomining and others.

This program is aimed at imparting the most current molecular and ecological concepts, skills and technologies in the areas of mining and environment.

Main Results achieved

1. Implemented 12 credits of “Biomining” into Master Curriculum for 2018 – 2019:

Area of knowledge: 10 Natural Science

Specialty: 101 Ecology

Program duration: 1.4 years (3 semesters)

and

Area of knowledge:18 Industry Technologies

Specialty: 183 Technologies for Environmental protection

Program duration: 1.8 years (4 semesters)

2. Established partnership with industrial and scientific partners in Ukraine

• Prydniprovsk Thermal Power Station “DTEK Energy”

• DTEK Pavlogradugol

• Industrial Plant FERREXPO POLTAVA MINING

• Kryvy Rig Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine

3. Field trips in Ukraine

• 2015: Central Coal Processing Plant “Pavlogradska”; reclamation side of lands disturbed by mining operations of PJSC “DTEK Pavlogradugol”, city of Pavlograd, Dnipropetrovsk region;

• 2016: Professional excursion and workshop at the Prydneprovsk Thermal Power Station on the topic: “Complex Processing of Ash and Slag Wastes of Thermal Power Station and Wastes of Coal Mining”, city of Dnipropetrovsk;

• 2016: Kryvy Rig Botanical Garden of National Academy of Science, city of Kryvy Rig, Dnipropetrovsk region;

• 2016: Iron Open Cast Mining reclamation site, city of Kryvy Rig, Dnipropetrovsk region;

• 2018: Industrial Plant FERREXPO POLTAVA MINING (Poltava Ore Dressing and Metallurgical Plant), city of Gorishni Plavni, Poltava region.

4. International Conference “Applied Biotechnology in Mining” held at NTU DP on April 25-27, 2018.

Number of Participants:

• in total 60 including 6 from Germany and 3 from Chile, Nigeria and Pakistan;

The main TOPICS of the Conference:

• Mining Phytotechnologies;

• Phytoremediation;

• Plants suitable for Phytomining and Phytoremediation;

• Rhizosphere in Phytoremediation / Phytotechnologies;

• Plant-Biomass and Bioenergy;

• Ecological Restoration of Mining Sites;

• Landscape Phyto-architecture;

• Microbial Technologies in Mining;

• Model Experiments (Bioreactors) and Heap Leaching;

• Molecular Approaches in Biomining;

• Biomining of Various Elements (including Germanium, Indium and REEs); Bioremediation and Bioeconomy;

• Other Environmental Biotechnologies.

5. Laboratory for biomining research established at the Department of Ecology and Environmental Technologies, NTU DP

6. Student’s research carried out in the frame of project (topics of the publications):

• Investigation the Possibility of Copper Leaching by Means of an Acidithiobacillus Ferrooxidans – Containing Culture;

• Environmental Soil Assessment at the Pryoril Landscape Reserve as Etalon Territory;

• Investigation of the Phosphorus Behavior in Chalk Soils;

• Evaluation of Danger Level of Soil Contamination on the Conservation Area “Kreidiana Flora” Territory due to the Hostilities;

• Analysis of Changes in Physical-and-Chemical Indexes of Soils on Territory of the National Park “Kreidiana Flora” of the Ukrainian Steppe Nature Reserve of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine as a Result of Military Operations;

• Investigation the possibility of the red-brown clay use for reclamation of the pyrite-containing coal dumps;

• Neutralization effect of the fly ash and coal dump wastes;

• Impact of Hexavalent Chromium on the Activity of Foaming by Saccharomyces;

• Research of the phytoremediation properties of Miscanthus giganteus in the condition of coal waste dumps in Western Donbass;

• Phytoremediation potential of native plants growing on reclaimed coal dump.

7. Double Supervised Master Theses Defended in 2018

• Studying the environmental hazard level of soil pollution by vehicles and developing methods for its decreasing;

• Studying the Possibility of Using Brown-Red Clay for Reclamation of Waste Rock of Coal Pits of Western Donbas.

8. General Assessment of the Project

• Implementation of the innovative Master courses for biotechnology in mining;

• Creation of the basis for further PhD program with focus on of biotechnological sector;

• Attraction of industrial partners to biomining and biohydrometallurgy technologies especially in the view of “industry 4.0”;

• Creation the Dual Education in the sphere of Biotechnology and Phytoremediation.

9. Links

More detailed about Project:

• http://ecology.nmu.org.ua/ua/International/Projects.php

• http://tu-freiberg.de/fakultaet2/bio/biology-ecology/forschungsprojekte/daad-nmu-dnipropetrovsk

and Conference:

• http://ecology.nmu.org.ua/en/News/Conferences.php