Ana Mladenovic

Head of Laboratory for Stone, Aggregate and Recycled Materials
Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute


With a background in geology, Dr. Ana Mladenovic has more than 30 years of experience in the field of materials characterization, i.e. aggregates, natural stone, cementitious composites and especially waste recycling. One of her key activities is the study of the characteristics of different types of waste, in particular industrial and mining waste, and of possibilities for the recycling of such waste in applications related to the construction industry. Her professional interest is also building pathology, with special emphasis on deterioration processes in concrete such as sulphate reaction and alkali-aggregate reaction.

Evaluation of Red Mud Tailings in the ESEE region and of the extraction of heavy minerals containing REE and other valuable metals

The RIS Restore project will be presented, aiming at establishing a self-sustaining network of stakeholders, who are interested in the reprocessing of red mud tailings in the ESEE region and the extraction of heavy minerals which contain valuable metals (REE, Sc, Y, Hf, Zr, and Ti). The estimated quantity of red mud in the region is more than 85 M tonnes. 5 tailings in 4 countries will be examined, and the existing Best Available Technology for the extraction of heavy minerals from ores will be evaluated for a selected tailing of red mud.