Why concerns about Saxon raw materials are growing

By Georg Moeritz

Freiberg. The mining state of Saxony is rich in raw materials - not rare earths, but mineral resources for the construction industry. 180 mines in Saxony extract stone, sand or building materials such as brick clay, said Bernhard Cramer, head of the Saxon Mining Authority, at the 1st Saxon Raw Materials Conference in Freiberg. However, Saxony is "relatively bare" when it comes to mineral resources other than coal and building materials. Cramer is also concerned about the future of sand and gravel extraction.

Statistics from the Upper Mining Authority show that the number of mining operations in Saxony is decreasing drastically. The production of sand and gravel has "collapsed" in recent years, said Cramer, speaking of a 40 percent decline within a decade. New open-cast mine openings are now subject to almost insurmountable legal hurdles and the procedures take a long time.

This decline does not match the development of the construction industry: "We are running into a problem," said Cramer. Nobody wants to read that Saxony has the necessary sand and gravel for concrete. Yet there are 83 square kilometers of open-cast mining areas for these materials, almost half a percent of the area of the Free State of Saxony.

Chief mining officer: Understanding of mining is dwindling

The new Saxon raw materials strategy from December 2022 states that there is a "high level of acceptance of raw materials among the population" in Saxony. This is due to historical awareness and the tradition of mining and sustainability. However, Chief Mining Officer Cramer is now noting a "dwindling understanding" of mining.

The fact that domestic raw materials contribute to prosperity is in danger of being forgotten. The "quasi-militant occupation" of the Heidebogen ("Heibo stays") against gravel extraction north of Ottendorf-Okrilla shows a strong politicization. And the quartz porphyry in Großsteinberg near Grimma will be mined underground in future because the expansion of the open-cast mine there is blocked by protected areas.

78 companies in Saxony extract sand and gravel, delivering almost nine million tons of it in 2022. The solid rock mined from Saxony's 66 quarries weighed more than twice as much. In third place in Cramer's statistics on stone and earth mining: kaolin mining, in eleven companies with a total of 1.3 million tons. There are also ten operations each for clay, brick clay and special clay, and five for lime and dolomite. However, many old operations will soon be phased out, said the head of the authority. He sees difficulties particularly around Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig, and less so in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. "Don't forget the raw materials!" warned the chief mining officer at the conference.

Minister Günther: No 100 percent circular economy

Saxony's Environment Minister Wolfram Günther (Greens) spoke out in favor of a "restructuring of the economy" at the raw materials conference: More circular economy is needed, more reuse. However, it is not realistic "that we will achieve 100 percent circularity". Raw materials would still be needed, for example for new buildings. Günther pointed out that a "cascade use" is necessary for valuable raw materials such as wood: the material can be used several times and does not have to be burned immediately after the demolition of a wooden house, for example.

The Environment Minister emphasized the benefits of renewable raw materials. He sees many opportunities for economic forms of the future. Many young people were looking for jobs with which they could "save the world". To do this, he said, we don't just have to talk about doing without, intelligent solutions can be found. Economics Minister Martin Dulig (SPD) also spoke out in favor of a "holistic view" of the raw materials industry. The new Saxon raw materials strategy contains a triad for the first time: in addition to the extraction of primary raw materials through mining and the use of secondary raw materials through recycling, it also includes the use of renewable raw materials from agriculture and forestry.

According to Dulig, an interdepartmental "Raw Materials Strategy Working Group" is collecting new proposals. By the end of last year, 98 measures had been submitted and the list is still open. The proposals deal, for example, with the recycling of materials from sewage sludge or the utilization of residues from grain mills. Plastic recycling and a regional supply chain for wood were also submitted.

More wood grows in Saxony than is harvested

As a "state of renewable raw materials", Saxony must be open to all technologies, said Mario Marsch, Head of Department for Policy Issues at the State Office for the Environment and Agriculture. Saxony could become strong in solid timber construction. Although more than 3.5 million cubic meters of wood are harvested from Saxony's forests every year, 5.8 million cubic meters grow back at the same time.

According to Marsch, the potential of agroforestry systems for material and energy recovery is still hardly used: this includes solid fibers for industrial fabrics and nonwovens made from hemp or packaging material made from the grass Miscanthus. The latest agricultural report shows that fast-growing forest trees were grown on 238 hectares of land in Saxony in 2022 ("short rotation plantations"). Miscanthus, which is also suitable as insulation material, grew on 80 hectares. 130 hectares were planted with hemp plants, which provide grains and fibers.

Farmers are quick to react, said Marsch. In 2022, the cultivation of soy and oleaginous sunflowers in Saxony doubled compared to the previous year. However, the number of biogas plants is stagnating, despite the demand for gas. Marsch cited the use of fruit kernels in 3D printers as a material for the delicate packaging of medical products as a "curious example" of agroforestry.