Our Story
ERZLABOR was founded on the vision and initiative of Prof. Jens Gutzmer. Jens began his career in South Africa, where he was awarded a South African Research Chair in Geometallurgy. In 2008, he brought to Germany not only world-class expertise, but also a pioneering idea: that geometallurgy could become a bridge connecting people, disciplines, and knowledge.
From Curiosity to Purpose
What began as scientific curiosity soon evolved into a shared mission — to understand materials more deeply, use resources more responsibly, and open new pathways for technological innovation.
Innovation Meets Sustainability
Driven by this conviction and a passion for automated material characterisation and geometallurgy, Prof. Gutzmer and his team founded ERZLABOR — a place where innovation and sustainability unite to redefine how we understand raw materials.
Our Home in Freiberg
ERZLABOR Advanced Solutions GmbH was officially established in 2017. The company’s headquarters remain in Freiberg, Saxony, Germany — a historic and internationally recognised centre of raw materials expertise in Central Europe.
Pioneering Research Shaping ERZLABOR’s Development
ERZLABOR’s growth has been driven by groundbreaking achievements in the field of geometallurgy and automated mineralogy. These milestones reflect the close integration of research, innovation, and application — the foundation on which our company continues to evolve.
World’s First PhD in Method development for Automated Mineralogy
Inspired by the enormous potential of automated mineralogy, Dirk Sandmann, under the supervision of Prof. Jens Gutzmer, completes the world’s first PhD dedicated to developing methods in automated mineralogy. This pioneering work laid the scientific foundation for ERZLABOR’s approach to high-resolution material characterization.
Defining “Predictive Geometallurgy”
Karl Gerald van den Boogaart and Raimon Tolosana-Delgado introduce the concept of “Predictive Geometallurgy” paper: Predictive Geometallurgy: An Interdisciplinary Key Challenge for Mathematical Geosciences (2018). This work reframed geometallurgy as a data-driven, interdisciplinary field — a perspective that continues to guide ERZLABOR’s innovation strategy.
Advancing Research and Application
Dr. Kai Bachmann successfully defends his doctoral thesis on geometallurgical system analysis (title: to be specified), further advancing the integration of mineralogical, processing, and analytical insights into predictive models.
Expanding Frontiers: From Mining and Process Modeling to Battery Recycling
ERZLABOR’s research focus expands toward automated mineralogy applications in tailings re-processing, battery recycling and process modeling, contributing to circular economy solutions and sustainable raw material management.
Key publications highlight these developments:
Pereira L., et al. (2020) – A self-adaptive particle-tracking method for minerals processing.
Journal of Cleaner Production, 279:123711.
Pereira L., et al. (2021) – Computing single-particle flotation kinetics using automated mineralogy data and machine learning. Minerals Engineering, 170, 107054.
Pereira L., et al. (2022) – Testing the robustness of particle-based separation models for magnetic separation of a complex skarn ore. International Journal of Mining Science and Technology, 32(3), 645–655.
Vanderbruggen A., et al. (2020–2022) – Series of studies advancing automated mineralogy for lithium-ion battery recycling, published in Chemie Ingenieur Technik, Minerals Engineering, and ACS ES&T Engineering.
The Team
Curiosity and precision lie at the heart of everything we do. We collaborate closely with you on every project to ensure our analyses align with your objectives because we believe that consistent excellence and genuine partnership lead to reliable, impactful results.
Julia Bachmann
Commercial AdministratorJulia Bachmann is a commercial administrator with a strong focus on finance, accounting, and human resources. She holds a degree in business administration, combining solid financial expertise with a structured and detail-oriented approach to organizational processes.
Since joining the company in 2022, Julia has been responsible for a wide range of tasks, including invoicing, invoice processing, liquidity monitoring, as well as managing employment contracts, references, and HR reporting.
With her strong organizational skills, reliability, and keen eye for detail, she ensures that day-to-day operations run smoothly. Thanks to her extensive experience in project management, organization, and public relations, Julia contributes valuable expertise and is a trusted point of contact within the ERZLABOR team.
Trevelayne Faller
Communications Specialist
Camila Tochtrop
Mining EngineerCamila Tochtrop…
Kai Bachmann, PhD
Geometallurgist & Materials Characterization Specialist
Petya Gutzmer, PhD
Economic Geologist & Managing DirectorPetya Gutzmer is a passionate economic geologist with more than 15 years of experience in the raw materials sector. She holds a Master’s degree in Economic Geology from the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg and a PhD in Geoscience from the University of Tübingen.
Her scientific work has taken her around the world, studying rare earth deposits in Sweden, Australia, and Canada. During her PhD, she focused on understanding the formation and properties of rare earth mineralization in alkaline complexes, while also developing innovative analytical methods for their characterization.
Petya combines strong scientific expertise with hands-on industry experience. As a consultant geologist, she has evaluated the economic potential of rare earth and lithium deposits and supported projects from exploration to assessment.
From 2012 to 2023, she worked as a researcher and project coordinator at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology. Since 2017, she has been the Managing Director and one of the founders of ERZLABOR Advanced Solutions GmbH.
Michele Giorno, PhD
Economic Geologist & Mineral Systems SpecialistMichele Giorno is an economic geologist with a strong background in Earth Sciences and expertise in sediment-hosted base-metal deposits. He holds a PhD with research focused on Mississippi Valley-Type (MVT) deposits in the Alps, where he applied integrated stratigraphic, petrographic, and geochemical approaches.
Following his doctoral work, Michele joined the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology as a postdoctoral researcher, where he focused on the characterization of Fe–Ni–Co laterite deposits. His work combines fundamental geological understanding with applied mineral analysis.
Michele has developed broad experience in automated mineralogy and geometallurgy, working with a wide range of materials from primary ore deposits to secondary resources, including lithium-ion batteries. He is particularly interested in understanding mineral systems and translating this knowledge into practical insights for resource evaluation and processing.
Lucas Pereira, PhD
Geological Engineer & Process Modeling SpecialistLucas Pereira is a geological engineer with a strong international background in georesources and process engineering. He studied in Ouro Preto (Brazil) and completed a joint Master’s degree in Georesources Engineering across Liège, Nancy, and Luleå, followed by a PhD in Freiberg focusing on particle-based separation models and machine learning.
His doctoral research centered on predicting the separation behavior of complex particles using data-driven approaches, combining advanced analytics with mineral processing. This work laid the foundation for his expertise at the interface of particle characterization and process performance.
Lucas currently works as a group leader at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology, where he focuses on linking laboratory-scale particle analysis with large-scale industrial process performance. He is particularly passionate about digitalization, process simulation, and developing predictive tools for more efficient and sustainable resource processing.
Sebastian Thormeier
Geologist & Sample Preparation Specialist
Dirk Sandmann, PhD
Managing Director & Expert in Automated MineralogyDirk Sandmann is a highly experienced geoscientist with over 20 years of expertise in research, teaching, and applied mineral analysis. He earned his PhD focusing on method development in automated mineralogy, where he established advanced analytical routines for the characterization of materials such as graphite, platinum group elements, and lithium ores.
Throughout his career, Dirk has combined scientific depth with strong practical application. He has worked both at the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg and at FEI Company, a global leader in high-performance electron microscopy. His work has been closely linked to the exploration, analysis, and evaluation of ore deposits.
Dirk’s expertise spans a wide range of commodities, including lead-zinc-silver, antimony, gold, and tin (skarn and greisen), as well as various industrial minerals and products. He is particularly passionate about developing robust, statistically sound measurement routines in automated mineralogy, enabling reliable and reproducible results across diverse applications.
This work is carried out in close collaboration with the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology. Since 2017, Dirk has been Managing Director and one of the founders of ERZLABOR Advanced Solutions GmbH, where he focuses on advancing innovative analytical solutions for the raw materials industry.