How are ore deposits formed? How do they develop and what is the best – and most importantly, sustainable – way of developing them? These and other questions relating to the "dynamics of ore metal enrichment" are at the center of the DFG Priority Program 2238 DOME of the same name. After a successful evaluation, the German Research Foundation (DFG) will now fund the program, which has been running since 2020, for another three years with around 6.7 million euros. 26 new individual research projects will start in the summer of 2023, primarily to support young scientists who will work at universities and research institutes in 16 German cities. The priority program will continue to be coordinated by the mineralogist Prof. Dr. Max Wilke from the Institute for Geosciences at the University of Potsdam.
Ore deposits and critical metals
Ore deposits have always been the basis of technical achievements and time and again their availability becomes a problem. At the moment there is an acute supply-demand problem, especially for so-called "critical" metals, which are essential for cutting-edge technologies to combat global CO2 emissions. To remedy this situation, new ore deposits must be found and developed. DOME is intended to help improve the understanding of ore-forming processes and the properties of ore deposits, as well as the associated models. In this way, exploration strategies can be developed and refined, but also recycling and processing processes can be further developed.
“The priority program brings together researchers from different fields who work together to decipher the complex processes of ore formation and bring multidisciplinary contributions in the form of advanced experimental, analytical or numerical methods. “, explains Prof. Dr. Max Wilke.
"This includes new methods in field research, improved laboratory experiments and computer simulations from the atomic to the regional scale," adds Dr. Maximilian Korges, who runs the program's coordination office in Potsdam. New insights into the complexity of ore formation and a better understanding of the formation processes should be gained.
