A delegation from Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University embarked on a two-month internship at Taiyuan University of Technology (TYUT) located in Shanxi Province, the coal capital of China. There, the group of young scientists began collaborative research with their Chinese colleagues in the fields of energy and mineral enrichment.
TYUT, as it is commonly abbreviated, consists of 27 faculties, 21 of which are technically focused (including mining, mechanical engineering, energy, chemical technology, and others). The university also includes 11 national research institutes, laboratories, and centers. In total, 45,000 students are enrolled at this academic and research institution, surpassing even the largest Russian universities in terms of student population.
The People's Republic of China is known for its technological independence and dominance in global industrial production. Additionally, the country continues to be the largest producer of coal year after year, strengthens its position in the production of clean energy, and plays a leading role in the rare earth metals market.
For example, China accounts for nearly 70% of the global production of rare earth metals. Just last week, Beijing increased its control over the export of seven such elements—samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium. The decision includes thorough monitoring of any foreign shipments, assessment of end-users, and the purposes of use. According to Bloomberg, this move could destabilize the global supply of critical components needed for high-tech manufacturing—from electric vehicles to weapons. However, China's Ministry of Commerce argues that the move serves national security interests and global stability.
One way or another, China is not particularly eager for equal cooperation in the mining and processing industries, as it simply doesn't need it—unless, of course, Russia is its partner, a country with an equally rich resource base.
Taiyuan University of Technology is considered one of the best institutions of higher education for mining engineering in China. Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University ranks 4th in the QS World University Rankings for mining and mineral extraction. The partnership between the two universities has lasted for more than 10 years. Since the first cooperation agreement was signed in 2015, hundreds of Chinese students have participated in summer and autumn schools (short-term educational programs) at the St. Petersburg university within the framework of academic exchange. Moreover, faculty and researchers have participated numerous times in conferences held at the Russian university.
This time, TYUT hosted colleagues from Russia. The group of miners was welcomed by the president of Taiyuan University of Technology, Sun Hongbin.
The first days in China were filled with emotions: museums, libraries, campuses, cultural exploration, and excursions. However, the main goal of the next two months for each participant in this project is to enhance their research capabilities.
The St. Petersburg Phd students, under the guidance of two scientific supervisors, one from Russia and one from China, will focus on research in the fields of energy, mineral enrichment, mining safety, and innovations in materials science.
«This postgraduate internship should mark the beginning of scientific collaboration between two leading global mining universities, contribute to optimizing the quality of workforce training, and facilitate the formation of international scientific teams working on current mining issues», - commented the coordinator of the delegation, Associate Professor of the Department of Development and Operation of Oil and Gas Fields, Valentin Morenov.
Alexander Korshunov, a postgraduate student from the Department of Chemical Technologies and Energy Resource Processing, is working on the technology of producing sorbents from the ash residue of combustible shale. At the TYUT College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, he begins a series of experiments to assess the efficiency of gas cleaning from CO2 and H2S using shale ash, which he brought from the Leningrad field.
«If the ash proves to be an effective material, it will allow for the profitable recycling of combustible shale residues into sorbents and their use for cleaning flue gases and wastewater from harmful contaminants. This could potentially be applied to the purification of exhaust gases from power stations and enterprises in the oil, gas, and chemical sector, as well as to the preparation of natural gas at gas extraction enterprises. The issue of ecology, including during the extraction and enrichment of raw materials, is equally relevant for both Russia and China. Therefore, we are joining forces to find the most effective solutions for improving the safe operation of enterprises in the mineral and raw materials sector», - said Alexander Korshunov.
The young scientist, along with his Chinese scientific supervisor, Associate Professor Hao Wenmin, examined the local laboratory equipment that will be used during their internship. This includes a gas chromatograph, muffle furnaces, the latest equipment for determining the specific surface area of materials (Quantachrome NOVA 1200), a scanning electron microscope, the BSD-C200 chemisorption analysis unit, and much more.
PhD student from the Department of Ore Dressing, Ekaterina Lushina, arrived in Shanxi to familiarize herself with Chinese advancements in improving the processing of strategic metals and materials based on in-depth analysis of the physicochemical parameters of the flotation process.
The laboratory complex at the Faculty of Mining at Taiyuan University of Technology will provide the opportunity to conduct flotation experiments and necessary analyses, including X-ray fluorescence analysis, measurement of zeta potential, and others. Determining the relationship between the quality of the flotation concentrate and the concentration of specific ions in the liquid phase of the pulp will help justify the requirements for the quality of recycled water supplied to the process at beneficiation plants, as well as the methodology for developing the flotation reagent regime.
«Working with modern flotation research equipment amidst the growing need for a deeper understanding of this process is highly valuable. I hope that by mastering new methodologies and learning from the experience of my Chinese colleagues led by Professor Fang Yuping, I will be able to incorporate positive aspects of their approaches into my own future research, which will contribute to improving the enrichment of mineral raw materials», - emphasized Ekaterina Lushina.
According to the postgraduate students, all the necessary conditions for productive work have been provided – comfortable working spaces, highly qualified colleagues, and access to scientific publication databases such as Web of Science and Scopus. The working principles in the laboratories of the Chinese university are similar to those used at the St. Petersburg Mining University: before starting research, the scientific supervisors asked their Russian colleagues to provide a detailed plan, a literature review, and a list of required reagents and materials. Then they jointly created a work plan and began the long-awaited experiments.
P.S.
The TYUT press service posted a detailed news item about the visit of 11 faculty members and students from the St. Petersburg Mining University on their website and social media. Sun Hongbin emphasized the “wide range of cooperation grounds between the two universities and the significant complementarity in many areas of research, such as safe deep mineral extraction and the development of new energy materials».
