INTRODUCTION

On June 15th and 16th, 2023, a seminar summarizing the research project MINRESCUE: From Mining Waste to Valuable Resources - a New Concept of Circular Economy took place.

On the first day of the meeting, PGG (Polish Mining Group) hosted foreign partners of the project at the Piast-Ziemowit Mine, so that they could directly observe the conditions in which the project's products would be installed.

On the following day, 65 stakeholders from the industry, mining supervision, trade unions, local authorities, and other research institutes participated in the meeting. The industry was represented by employees from the environmental protection and coal processing departments of the largest coal companies in Poland, namely Polska Grupa Górnicza SA, LW Bogdanka SA, Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa SA, Tauron Wydobycie SA, and Węglokoks Kraj SA. The workshops also attracted interest from SWE Sp. z o.o., a company involved in manufacturing innovative products from composite materials for wind and photovoltaic farms. The mining supervision authorities were represented by the State Mining Authority, and the local government was represented by employees from the Mining Department of the city of Katowice. Employees from the scientific institutes of the R&D sector were involved in the symposium, including researchers from Łukasiewicz Research Network - Institute of Innovative Technologies EMAG and Institute of Mining Technology KOMAG.

The primary objectives and main results of MINRESCUE were delivered succinctly in six presentations, each 20 to 30 minutes, followed by technical discussion. Being a face-to-face event, the symposium was also a chance for interested partners in coal mining sector to share information and discuss potential future plans over breaks and lunch.