Germany imports billions worth of raw materials every year: E-car batteries without lithium? Solar modules without tin? Unthinkable. But importing the coveted raw materials is not the only solution. Prices on the raw materials markets will continue to rise in the coming years, dependencies on authoritarian states cause political tensions and make it difficult for industries to plan in the medium and long term. The purchase of so-called "conflict materials", whose extraction causes serious damage to people and the environment in the producing countries, also raises problems.
The solution? German and European raw materials. They could significantly increase the degree of self-sufficiency in Europe and reduce dependencies. This idea is outlined in the European Critical Raw Materials Act. It is intended to bundle joint European efforts to achieve climate targets and greater independence in the raw materials sector. From the processing and refining of minerals to their recycling and reuse, the aim is to raise efficiency and cooperation in Europe to the highest level.
This requires solving an open task: We have to determine what exactly lies beneath our feet. Jens-Peter Lux, Managing Director DMT GROUP, states in FOCUS: "Around 60 % of the deep underground have not been explored or have not been explored sufficiently. This is a huge knowledge gap in which many opportunities lie dormant, because the geological indications point to significant raw material deposits and the situation is very similar in large parts of Europe."
However, mining raw materials in Europe would be safer, cleaner, and, in view of rising world market prices, also competitive, with a minimal environmental and social footprint thanks to short supply chains and transport routes as well as state-of-the-art mining technology.
So, it's about time we started exploring the underground and the hidden potential beneath our feet. The technology? Already in place. The vibro-trucks from DMT GROUP, for example, provide a precise 3D image of the subsurface and the raw material deposits it contains. Now they just need to be set in motion.
You want to know what raw material potential is dormant beneath your feet? Simply contact our experts Rüdiger Misiek or Florian Beier to progress the development of your raw material potential: Ruediger.Misiek(at)dmt-group.LÖSCHEN.com / Florian.Beier(at)dmt-group.LÖSCHEN.com
Learn more in the FOCUS Magazine article, which you can access here (German language and please note the paywall).
