Huang Xiaowei, female, a member of Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). Presently a chief expert of General Research Institute for Nonferrous Metals (GRINM), the director of National Engineering Research Center for Rare Earth Materials, the vice general manager of Grirem Advanced Materials Co., Ltd., the director of rare earth chemistry & hydrometallurgy committee of the Chinese Society of Rare Earths and editorial board member of Chinese Journal of Rare Earths, the secretary-general of the Strategic Alliance for Technological Innovation in Advanced Rare Earth Materials Industry of Ministry of Science and Technology of the People´s Republic of China and a committee member of the 3rd National Strategic Advisory Committee for the Development of the New Materials Industry, etc. Entitled as the "Outstanding Engineer Award" in China, the "National Outstanding Scientific and Technical Workers", the "National Model Worker", and the "National Innovation & First Award Certificate".
Prof. Huang has been devoted to the fundamental research, engineering development and application of rare earth metallurgy, seperation and purification, and rare earth materials for more than 30 years, and gained a series of innovative achievements in the efficient and cleaner extraction of rare earth resources, and green separation and purification of rare earths. Typical patented technologies include the enhanced sulfuric acid bake (phosphorus fixed)-extraction and separation technology for Baotou mixed rare earth ore, the new non-saponification extraction technology for the rare earths separation, the new technology for the rare earths separation and purification using magnesium bicarbonate, and the leaching-solvent extraction integrated technology for ion-adsorption rare earths ore, etc. These patented technologies have been put into practise in more than 40 rare earth enterprises such as Chinese Northern Rare Earth Group, Aluminum Corporation of China Limited and Xiamen Tungsten Co., Ltd., solved the problems arised from ammonia-nitrogen wastewater and radioactive waste from the source, efficiently recycled the wastewater containing Mg-salt and CO2, greatly improved the utilization rate of rare earth resources, and greatly advanced a green shift in the efficient cleaner exploitation and utilization of rare earth resources in China, leading the greener development of rare earth industry. Prof. Huang has been awarded with a second prize of National Technological Invention Award, a second prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award, a third prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award, fourth the Chinese Patent Outstanding Awards, and eighth the first prize of provincial/ministerial awards. Prof. Huang has been granted with 82 invention patents (including 19 foreign patents, and 32 patents as the first inventor), and has more than 160 academic papers published.
