keynote speakers

The keynote lecture "Extractive Metallurgy of Rare Earths" will be given by Damien Krebs, Study Manager and metallurgist at Primero Group, Australia.

Damien Krebs is a metallurgical engineer with a masters in mineral economics with significant experience in the development of processes for treating rare earth ores. 

With over 13 years in rare earths and prior extensive experience in complex hydrometallurgy he is well suited to the challenges of rare earth extractive metallurgy.

He has worked for over a decade in technology development for nickel and cobalt metallurgy with BHP which includes both laterite and sulphide ores. While working across multiple jurisdictions in project development he made many mistakes in the metallurgically complex fields including; pressure leaching, rare earths, uranium, lithium and phosphate. These learnings provided extensive experience in the development of metallurgical processes and holds a number of international patents and patent applications for nickel and rare earth processing. 

He has a wide range of contacts through the global mining industry for which he has served for over 25 years professionally. 

The keynote lecture "Battery minerals, or battery metals? That is the question, but what about battery materials?" will be given by Prof Alan Butcher, Chief Scientist and Technical Director, Hafren Scientific Group, UK.

Alan R Butcher is Chief Scientist & Technical Director of Origin Analytical Ltd and X-Ray Mineral Services Ltd., part of the Hafren Scientific Group, based in the UK. He is specifically focusing on critical minerals, specifically those related to the Green Energy revolution, Zero Waste practices, and the Circular Economy in general. One aspect of his work is the cross-disciplinary characterisation of minerals, metals and materials that are required for batteries, with an emphasis on novel imaging and analysis techniques, which bridge both scientific and engineering aspects. 

Alan is a geologist with over 40 years of experience in the field of applied mineralogy, having previously worked in the UK, South Africa, Australia, The Netherlands, and most recently Finland. 

Alan is also a Visiting Professor of Geoinspired Utilisation of Planetary Materials at The Open University, UK, where is researching how to bring Space technologies down to Earth.