From October 21 to 25, lecturers from the Kenyan university were guests at iTN in Zittau for further training.
Lecturers from Kenya were guests in Zittau at the Institute for Process Development, Peat and Natural Resources Research (iTN) as part of the "Process Engineering" course at TTU in Kenya. The exchange is part of the Centre of Excellence for Mining, Environmental Engineering and Resource Management (CEMEREM) project, in which the HSZG has been involved since 2014 as a project partner for the "Mechanical Process Engineering, Waste Management and Environmental Engineering" part, represented by Prof. Schoenherr. This visit is part of a long tradition of visits and return visits from Zittau to Voi and from Voi to Zittau.
During their stay, the two lecturers from Taita Taveta University in Voi, Kenya, were able to complete various internships in the field of mechanical process engineering at iTN in Zittau in order to accompany the teaching and construction of the test stands in Kenya.
Kenya has great potential in the mining sector, but the exploration of mineral resources has only just begun. The country is still considered a producer of agricultural products such as tea, coffee, maize and beans. Nevertheless, Kenya is already a major global exporter of non-metallic minerals such as sodium carbonate (third largest world producer) and fluorspar. Titanium, gold and iron are also already being mined and exported. The deposits of rare earths found in the coastal region are a further basis for the further development of mining from the current 1% of gross domestic product to the targeted 6.5%. Achieving this goal requires not only competent mining experts but also environmental engineers who can accompany the development and find solutions to the conflicts between mining, the environment and nature. This is where research and international exchange play a crucial role.
The cooperation between Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and Taita Taveta University has been in place since May 2014, with Prof. Schoenherr teaching the subjects of mechanical process engineering, processing technology, waste management and environmental technology as a guest lecturer. The trilateral cooperation agreement is part of a university network of interested German universities, preferably HTW Dresden, TU Bergakademie Freiberg and Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, and serves to establish academic cooperation with East African countries. In addition to development aid, this is also intended to support the international economic efforts of German and Saxon industry.
An excursion to SCHOLZ Recycling GmbH in Espenhain gave the African colleagues an insight into the state of recycling technology in Germany. In addition to the scientific work, a visit from the Rector and the Lord Mayor was on the agenda and rounded off the visit of Mr. Eric Kinyua and Ms. Phillis Mbinda to Zittau.
Kinyua and Mbinda both teach at Taita Taveta University in the Department of Mining & Mineral Processing Engineering. They are responsible for setting up the laboratories and the use of equipment and facilities that are used for student training on the Master's degree course in Process Engineering in Kenya.
In recent years, the rector and chancellor of TTU Kenya have made several visits to Zittau. Scientists from iTN have taken part in conferences in Kenya. Doctoral students working in Freiberg were invited to celebrate 20 years of Zittau University of Engineering.
A joint project between HTW Dresden (project management), Taita Taveta University (TTU), TU Bergakademie Freiberg and Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences to develop a center for mining, environmental engineering and resource management. The aim of the project is to train the young engineers needed for the planned economic development and to promote scientific cooperation and research.
A joint project between HTW Dresden (project management), Taita Taveta University (TTU), TU Bergakademie Freiberg and Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences to develop a center for mining, environmental engineering and resource management. The aim of the project is to train the young engineers needed for the planned economic development and to promote scientific cooperation and research.
Objectives
An in-house institute of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the International University Institute Zittau (IHI) and the Dresden University of Applied Sciences (HTW).
The work profile focuses on geotechnics, recultivation, soil science and the influence of vegetation.
In process development, the focus is on researching and developing, as well as optimizing processing solutions for a wide variety of raw materials using basic mechanical operations such as crushing, separating, mixing and agglomerating, as well as chemical or thermal processes.
In the area of peat and humic substances, the focus is on the quality analysis of peat, the chemical and toxicological/pharmacological characterization of humic substances and the development of cosmetic products.
