Key Enabler for a Sustainable Circular Economy of Minerals and Metals
The Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) pursues the objective of developing innovative technologies for the economy so that mineral and metalliferous raw materials can be made available and used more efficiently and recycled in an environmentally friendly manner.
Two times top-level research: Helmholtz Association recognizes HZDR scientists with doctoral awards
The Helmholtz Association awarded Dr. Lukas Körber and Dr. Anna Vanderbruggen its doctoral prizes in the fields of matter and energy in Berlin on Monday, April 29. They received the prizes for their outstanding doctoral theses, which they completed at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology at HZDR. In her research approach, Vanderbruggen uses a proven method to return the graphite from used batteries, which has hardly been recycled to date, to the material cycle. Körber's work contributes to a deeper understanding of magnetic spin waves, which are significant for various future technologies. The prize is endowed with 5,000 euros. Additionally, the Helmholtz Association supports stays abroad of up to six months with a monthly grant of 2,000 euros.
Keeping power in the cycle: Tests confirm quality of purified graphite from used lithium-ion batteries
Lithium-ion batteries have become an integral part of everyday life. The number of used batteries is correspondingly high. They contain considerable amounts of important raw materials such as graphite. Recycling this mineral for being reused for new batteries with the same performance is an important goal. Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm and the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have now demonstrated that a graphite recycling technology is successful as intended. In tests, the purified graphite showed excellent capacity retention comparable to pristine commercial anode-grade graphite.
The BHT - FREIBERGER UNIVERSITÄTSFORUM serves the professional exchange between science, economy and society. In several specialist colloquia, participants discuss issues relating to resource extraction and processing, and they learn about current research from all faculties. The recomine alliance will present itself in a specialist colloquium on June 5, 2024.
FlexiPlant - Research Infrastructure for adaptive processing of complex raw materials
One of the challenges confronting our society today is the sustainable use of our resources. The concept of a circular economy, in which products, materials and components are reused and recycled within a loop, thus generating hardly any waste, is intended to meet this challenge. In order to recover raw materials of all kinds (e.g. rare earth elements) in an energy-efficient and function-preserving way, it is necessary to develop a new generation of adaptive and flexible technologies and digital platforms for the processing and recycling. FlexiPlant will be a globally unique research infrastructure, to develop and test scientific models, methods and technologies for the mechanical processing of raw material in a pilot scale. The digitalization and automation of the processing system are required for transferring the processes to industrial scale. As an open transfer platform, FlexiPlant will provide a variety of research and cooperation opportunities for interested partners from academia, industry and society.