Presenter Bio: Dipl.-Ing. Mario Gerards Senior Process Engineer of Mineral Resources, Industry Director Minerals & Mining, Andritz Separation GmbH, Germany Mario is a process engineer with 20+ years of experience in mining and mineral processing. A graduate of the Technical University Georg Agricola, Germany, he held leadership roles at allmineral GmbH, MBE Coal & Minerals Technology, and RHEWUM GmbH. Since 2020, he has brought his technical and commercial expertise to ANDRITZ Separation, where, as Global Industry Director for Minerals & Mining, he advances innovative solutions and drives global growth.

Experienced mining engineer with a Master’s degree in Geosciences and over 9 years of industry experience as a business consultant, having worked across South and North America and Australia with mining companies, consulting firms, and research institutions. Proven ability to lead teams, deliver business strategies and end-to-end technical solutions that improve operational efficiency, ESG performance, and cost control. Anchored in the integration of people, processes, and technology, I have successfully designed and deployed end-to-end operating models and solution designs in tier 1 mining companies, leveraging digital tools and advanced engineering practices. My experience spans drill and blast optimization, business improvement initiatives, process integration, digital transformation roadmaps, and supply chain strategy, delivering measurable improvements in profitability, operational productivity, ore recovery, and environmental impact. Passionate about creating meaningful impact, I am committed to driving innovation, operational effectiveness, and sustainable growth in the mining industry by bridging technical excellence with strategic vision, ensuring seamless alignment between people, processes, and technology.

I am a business-oriented leader with over 20 years of experience in the international mining and metallurgical industry, specializing in novel mineral processing technologies. My expertise lies in scaling up laboratory to pilot-scale technologies and processes to achieve profitability. I prioritize pragmatic and risk-managed technology development, emphasizing the importance of building the right team for successful scale-up. Throughout my career, I have consistently delivered technical, financial, and reputational success. I have held various professional roles within the process industry, including R&D engineer, senior consultant, team leader, project manager, and supervisor. I set strategic goals and visions with a strong focus on achieving results, believing that team spirit and a safe and healthy working environment are essential for success. Currently, I am responsible for providing development, engineering, and support services focusing on productivity, risk management, and delivering sustainable, safe, and efficient solutions to our clients in the mining industry. I excel in communication and interpersonal interactions, always maintaining confidentiality when dealing with sensitive projects. I have expertise in the classification, physical separation and flotation of various minerals, and I have worked with leading mining houses and equipment suppliers on global projects involving REE,PGM,gold,copper, cobalt, nickel, lead, zinc, iron, apatite and phosphates.

Qian Zhang is a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, China. Her research focuses on the comprehensive utilization of vanadium–titanium magnetite and the resource recovery of solid wastes. She has participated in a National Key R&D Program project on the source reduction and resource utilization of vanadium–titanium smelting residues in the iron and steel industry. She developed a short-process route for V₂O₅ production involving weak-alkaline vanadium leaching, synchronous molybdenum separation, and direct vanadium precipitation. She is currently involved in research projects, including a Guangxi Key Science and Technology Program on integrated smelting technologies for vanadium–titanium magnetite and low-cost ferrotitanium production, as well as an NSFC project on the oxidation roasting behavior of high-FeO spinel concentrates. She has attended several academic conferences, including ICSTI 2025, INFACON XVII, and the 15th CSM Steel Congress, and has contributed to the review and organization of these conferences. Qian Zhang received the National Scholarship for Master’s Students and was supported from an Excellent Master’s Thesis Program. She has published four academic papers and holds two authorized Chinese invention patents.

Jiachen Gong is a Ph.D. studente in Materials and Chemical Engineering at Central South University, China, and a Senior Engineer at the Metallurgical Engineering Center of CNMC Shenyang Research Institute of Nonferrous Metals. He received his Master’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Northeastern University (2016) and his Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and Technology from Shenyang University of Chemical Technology (2010). Gong has more than ten years of experience in metallurgical process development, iron–vanadium–titanium resource utilization, and comprehensive recovery of valuable metals from complex mineral and smelting by-products. He has led or participated in multiple industrial and national-level projects, including cobalt-bearing slag reduction–magnetic separation, comprehensive recovery of valuable elements from nonferrous metallurgical byproducts, and reduction roasting technology for laterite nickel ore. His research achievements have contributed to technological innovation in reduction roasting, electric furnace smelting, hydrometallurgy, and process intensification. He has received several industry awards, including the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Science and Technology Award (Second Prize, 2014; Third Prize, 2016). Gong’s current research focuses on low-carbon direct reduction, slag–metal separation mechanisms, and short-process ferroalloy production from complex iron ores.