The final day of the International Mineral Processing Congress (IMPC) was dedicated to various industrial and cultural tours for the participants:

On the one hand, the Russian mining and metallurgical company Metalloinvest Management Company LLC opened the doors to its sites in Gubkin (mining) and Stary Oskol (steel); on the other hand, a visit to the potash mine Usolskiy of the EuroChem group, which is located at the Verkhnekamsk potash deposit in the Perm region, was also on offer. As for the cultural part, one could choose between a Golden Ring tour to the ancient Russian towns to the northeast of Moscow and a trip to St. Petersburg.

Dr.-Ing. Max Hesse from the Institute of Mineral Processing Machines (IAM), however, made altogether different plans and decided to visit a research institute for microanalysis equipment. The focus was placed on microscopy-based micromechanical analysis possibilities, which are particularly suitable for the characterization of minerals.

Communication always presents a huge challenge at the interfaces of specialist disciplines, yet also offers a great opportunity for everyone involved to broaden their own horizon: For instance, an analyzer manufacturer who knows best the capabilities of his devices will be immensely surprised at what else can be done with them outside his known scope of ​​application; then again, a process engineer will be delighted by new analysis options that can help him answer his research questions.

And so, this year’s IMPC today came to an end. Luckily, there was still some time left for a short stroll through the city of Moscow on our way back. 😉

Next week, the Institute of Mineral Processing Machines will be in Vienna from 26 – 28 September for the International Mineral Resources Conference organized by the European Raw Materials Initiative EUMICON. Subscribe to our RSS-feed to keep yourself up to date on our latest blog posts!