For Zhou Hepeng, the study of mineral resource development is a field of endless wonder—a discipline that bridges ancient Chinese creation myths and the metallurgical chronicles of the Tiangong Kaiwu. “It’s all about the process of unlocking and utilizing what nature provides,” reflects the 30-something researcher, his eyes alight with passion for a field he has devoted over a decade to.
As Deputy Director of the Yichun Lithium-ion Battery New Energy Industry Research Institute at Jiangxi University of Science and Technology (JXUST), Zhou has fashioned a fitting, almost poetic title for himself: an industrial “alchemist.” His work, however, involves no mythical transmutation of base metals into gold. Instead, he uses science to extract scarce elements like lithium, tantalum, and niobium from stubborn ores, transforming dormant resources into high-purity metals—and in doing so, awakening new value.
This vision recently earned him one of the inaugural Jiangxi Provincial Science and Technology Youth Awards. The honor recognizes not just persistence and innovation, but the growth of a young scientist deeply rooted in addressing local industrial challenges.
Learning from the Land
When Zhou arrived in Yichun in 2014, the city was already known as “Asia’s Lithium Capital.” Yet its lithium reserves were notoriously difficult to process, and the local industry remained stuck in low-value extraction and primary processing. “It was a shame to see such resources underutilized,” Zhou recalls, sensing both waste and opportunity.
The obstacles were immense. The local lithium ores were low-grade, fine-grained, and intergrown with other metals, making separation and extraction intensely challenging. High costs and environmental concerns plagued the industry, leaving many companies stuck with “unworkable” mines. This bottleneck threatened the region's ambitions.
Driven by the goal of green, efficient, and low-carbon development of these resources, Zhou plunged into the world of lithium. His youth became measured in long nights in the lab and early mornings at mine sites.
“Research can’t be done behind closed doors,” he often says. “Breakthroughs come to those who solve real industrial problems.”
To understand Jiangxi’s lithium reserves firsthand, he led his team across mining regions from Yichun to Shangrao, Ji'an, and Ganzhou. Countless iterations between lab and production line followed, tweaking reagents and processes until the data met their targets. His persistence paid off. In 2015, his first technology transfer project brought in RMB 180,000 in funding—a modest sum, but a powerful validation that science could indeed serve industry.
Where Breakthroughs Are Born
A decade of commitment has yielded tangible outcomes. The technology for “clean and efficient development of low-grade lepidolite” developed by Zhou’s team has been adopted by major players including CATL and Gotion High-Tech in their Yichun mineral processing plants. This process allows comprehensive recovery of lithium, tantalum, niobium, and tin, and approaches “zero tailings” by making use of what was once discarded as waste. It has effectively turned challenging, low-grade resources into industrially viable reserves, strengthening China’s competitiveness in the new-energy lithium sector.
Another signature innovation—technology and equipment for recovering fine-grained rare metals—solved the tough challenge of retrieving particles finer than 10 micrometres. The inspiration emerged from a casual conversation with a graduate student in the workshop. “Since their properties are so similar, why not try to amplify the differences?” the student wondered.
That spark led Zhou to introduce centrifugal force into the separation process, dramatically improving efficiency for these ultra-fine minerals.
His quest for solutions has taken him far beyond Jiangxi—to the 3,500-meter-altitude lead-zinc mines of Golmud, where his team spent 46 days perfecting high-concentration flotation, and to the 4,500-meter-high jade dragon copper mine in Tibet, where they developed energy-efficient grinding and classification technology adapted to plateau conditions.
“The front lines hold the most pressing problems—and the most practical wisdom,” Zhou believes. For him, research divorced from real-world application is like a plant without soil: it cannot truly grow.
Bridging the Last Mile
In 2022, Zhou joined a provincial high-level talent program, taking a post as Deputy County Chief of Yifeng, where he oversaw technology and lithium industry development. His position changed, but his mission did not.
He quickly immersed himself in local enterprises and mines, helping establish the joint lithium research institute between JXUST and the Yichun municipal government—creating a vital bridge between academic research and industrial needs.
After his posting, he returned to lead the institute, now heading a team of over 60 young researchers, most of them in their thirties. Together, they serve as a youth think tank for the lithium industry’s upgrading.
In one intensive campaign to promote green mining in Yichun, he spent three and a half months straight at the mines, pushing technological adoption. A year later, all five working lithium mines in Yifeng were included in the provincial green mining list—a visible transformation.
That experience, Zhou says, deepened his understanding of how technology empowers industry. The final mile—from lab bench to production line—is where innovation truly becomes the engine of development.
“A lifetime is short; you can’t do everything,” he reflects. “If I can contribute to new-energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products, that will be enough.”
In this quiet dedication lies the spirit of a new generation of scientists. For Zhou Hepeng, the essence of research lies not only in rigorous experimentation, but also in the patience and perseverance that turn raw potential into polished achievement—much like refining pure metal from low-grade ore, or honing a lifetime of effort into a moment of brilliance.
