Biography

Professor Christian Wolkersdorfer is a mining hydrogeologist with 34 years of experience in mine water geochemistry, hydrodynamics, geothermal applications and tracer tests. ​​​ In 2014, he was provided the South African Research Chair for Acid Mine Water Treatment at Tshwane University of Technology and he held the world’s first Industrial Research Chair for Mine Water Remediation & Management at Cape Breton University, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is also a “Finish Distinguished Professor for Mine Water Management” at Lappeenranta University of Technology in Mikkeli, Finland. He has been teaching hydrogeology, mining hydrology and tracer hydrology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München und Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany and within the AEG master course of Tübingen University. He received his PhD from Clausthal University, Germany and habilitated at Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany. He is the President of the International Mine Water Association and the Technical Editor of the SCI listed journal “Mine Water and the Environment”. He has published more than 170 papers, books and book chapters in various journals and proceedings about hydrogeology, archaeology and mining related topics. The research chair will contribute to solving mine water related problems by conducting applied research on mine water management and treatment as well as prevention of mine water pollution. He will focus on passive treatment technologies in remote areas and active treatment where local water sources or people might be directly affected by the pollution. Key active technologies will be electrochemistry and the integration of various technologies into new water treatment methods. Another focus of research will be the understanding of the flooding process itself and stratification in flooded underground mines by means of tracer tests and optimized monitoring methods. South Africa is facing one of the world’s largest mine water problems and if not addresses properly, the environment, heritage sites and local drinking water resources might be irreversibly affected. Though there are