The research project PLING (Platform-Based Integration and Use of Mining Data) brings industry and research together to rethink raw material extraction. To this end, PLING develops a sensor-based platform that intelligently uses data captured directly during the extraction process in order to better understand and model resource deposits, optimise production decisions in real time, use resources more efficiently and minimise the ecological footprint. The platform is being trialled in case studies on lithium, potash and gypsum. The results are intended to be transferred into international standards such as the UNFC.
The project runs for three years and comprises five consortium partners: TU Bergakademie Freiberg, RWTH Aachen (AMT & MRE), Knauf Gips and Innomotics, plus two associated partners: K+S Group and Zinnwald Lithium.
The EU Critical Raw Materials Act, which entered into force in May 2024, lists 34 critical raw materials that are indispensable for European industry. Europe currently imports more than 90 % of strategic raw materials such as lithium, rare earths and cobalt from third countries. Domestic deposits, however, are characterised by growing geological complexity, and conventional planning approaches are reaching their limits.
This is where PLING comes in: through the use of modern sensors, machine learning and intelligent control systems, the project enables more precise exploration and more selective extraction of raw materials. Resources are used more efficiently, environmental impact is minimised, and import dependency is reduced in the long term – a decisive contribution to Europe’s raw material security.
The project is structured into nine closely interlinked work packages that cover the entire innovation cycle from baseline analysis to knowledge transfer:
PLING is funded as part of the EGARoh funding programme (Development of innovative technologies for the extraction and processing of primary and secondary raw material sources) by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).
The total funding volume amounts to €2.75 million over a three-year period (2026–2028). The project is administered by Projektträger Jülich (PtJ). The grant number is 033R433A.
The funding programme is part of the national raw materials strategy and aims to strengthen Germany’s technological expertise in the extraction and processing of raw materials – particularly for critical raw materials that are indispensable for the energy and mobility transition.
The PLING project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) within the “EGARoh” funding programme under grant no. 033R433A.
About the funding scheme: “New approaches to the exploration, extraction and processing of primary raw materials in the context of national and European cooperation” within the Strategy for Research for Sustainability (FONA).