35th HELSINKI World Congress on Mining, Material and Metallurgical Engineering (WCM3E-26) April 27-29, 2026 Helsinki (Finland) Helsinki, Helsinki

Call for papers/Topics
Topics of interest for submission include any topics related to:

Mining Engineering
This discipline focuses on the safe, efficient, and responsible extraction of minerals and resources from the Earth.

Mineral Exploration and Evaluation:

Geology and Mineralogy: Understanding rock types, ore bodies, and mineral deposits.

Geostatistics: Applying statistical methods to estimate mineral reserves.

Exploration Techniques: Using geophysical (seismic, magnetic) and geochemical methods.

Mine Design and Planning:

Surface Mining Methods: Open-pit, strip mining, and quarrying.

* **Underground Mining Methods:** Room and pillar, cut-and-fill, longwall, and block caving.
* **Mine Ventilation and Airflow Control:** Ensuring safe air quality and temperature.
* **Rock Mechanics and Ground Control:** Analyzing rock stress and designing stable slopes and tunnels.
Mining Operations:

Drilling and Blasting: Methods for breaking up rock.

Excavation and Loading: Equipment like shovels, loaders, and draglines.

Haulage and Transportation: Trucks, conveyors, and rail systems.

Mine Safety and Health: Hazard identification, risk assessment, and regulations.

Sustainability and Environment:

Mine Waste Management: Handling and disposal of tailings and waste rock.

Mine Reclamation and Closure: Restoring the land after mining operations cease.

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Mitigation: Preventing and treating acidic water discharge.

Extractive (Chemical) Metallurgy and Mineral Processing
This area deals with recovering valuable minerals from the ore and refining them into a pure metal or usable material.

Mineral Processing (Mineral Dressing)
Comminution: Crushing, grinding, and milling to reduce particle size.

Classification and Screening: Separating particles by size.

Separation Techniques:

Flotation: Chemically separating valuable minerals from waste (gangue).

Gravity Separation: Using density differences (e.g., jigs, tables).

Magnetic and Electrostatic Separation: Using electrical or magnetic properties.

Dewatering: Thickening, filtering, and drying to remove water.

Extractive Metallurgy
Pyrometallurgy: Processes involving high temperatures.

Roasting and Calcination: Heating to cause chemical change.

Smelting: Melting the concentrate to separate metal from slag (waste).

Hydrometallurgy: Processes involving aqueous (water-based) solutions.

Leaching: Dissolving the metal out of the ore using chemical solutions (e.g., cyanide or acid).

Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange: Purifying the dissolved metal solution.

Precipitation and Electrowinning: Recovering the metal from the solution.

Electrometallurgy: Processes using electrical energy, typically for refining.

Electrorefining: Using electrolysis to produce high-purity metals.

Electrowinning: Recovering metals from leach solutions.

Metallurgical Thermodynamics and Kinetics: The study of energy and rate of chemical reactions in metal production.

Physical and Mechanical Metallurgy & Materials Engineering
This domain focuses on the structure, properties, manufacturing, and performance of materials, particularly metals and alloys.

Materials Structure and Characterization:

Crystallography: Study of crystal structures (BCC, FCC, HCP).

Microstructure Analysis: Using techniques like Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD).

Phase Transformations: Changes in a material’s structure with temperature or pressure (e.g., in steel).

Mechanical Properties:

Stress, Strain, and Elasticity: Analyzing material response to force.

Hardness, Toughness, and Ductility: Key mechanical measures.

Fracture and Fatigue: Understanding how materials fail under static or cyclic loading.

Creep: Deformation under constant stress at high temperatures.

Material Processing and Manufacturing:

Casting: Pouring molten metal into a mold (e.g., sand casting, die casting).

Metalworking/Forming: Shaping solid metal (e.g., forging, rolling, extrusion).

Heat Treatment: Controlled heating and cooling to change mechanical properties (e.g., annealing, quenching, tempering).

Welding and Joining: Techniques to permanently connect materials.

Powder Metallurgy: Manufacturing parts from fine metal powders.

Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing): Building parts layer by layer, often with metal alloys.

Advanced Materials and Applications:

Alloy Development: Designing new combinations of elements for specific properties (e.g., high-strength steel, aerospace aluminum alloys).

Ceramics and Glasses: Non-metallic inorganic materials.

Polymers and Composites: Materials combining two or more distinct phases (e.g., carbon fiber reinforced plastics).

Biomaterials: Materials used in medical applications.

Electronic and Magnetic Materials: Semiconductors, superconductors, etc.

Materials Degradation:

Corrosion Engineering: Preventing the deterioration of materials due to reaction with their environment (e.g., rust).

Cross-Cutting Topics
These topics span across all three main areas and address modern challenges.

Sustainability and Recycling:

Urban Mining: Recovering metals from electronic waste (e-waste).

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): Evaluating the environmental impact from resource extraction to disposal.

Automation and Digitalization:

Industry 4.0 in Mining: Implementing sensors, data analytics, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for optimization.

Autonomous Mining Systems: Remotely or automatically operated equipment.

Critical and Strategic Minerals:

Focus on Rare Earth Elements (REEs), lithium, and cobalt, essential for clean energy and high-tech applications.