Overcoming Material Shortages: Simulations and Advanced Testing Methods Highlight Alternatives to Conventional Materials

Fraunhofer IWS Develops Innovative Material and Process Solutions for Industrial Challenges amid Resource Scarcity

12-Dec-2024 - The scarcity of raw materials poses severe challenges to global industries. Recycling and the increased use of secondary raw materials have become essential for many companies. At the same time, rising raw material prices and uncertainties in supply chains are driving further research into ...

New process for recovering valuable elements from wood ash

Processing of previous incineration waste as a secondary raw material

25-Nov-2024 - The ash produced when wood is burned in heating and power plants contains valuable nutrients, but also environmentally critical metals. A team led by Professor Harald Thorwarth from Rottenburg University of Applied Sciences, who is also associated with the University of Tübingen, and Professor ...

Neste expands chemical recycling logistics infrastructure at its refinery in Porvoo, Finland

22-Aug-2024 - Neste is expanding its logistics infrastructure for liquefied recycled raw materials at its refinery in Porvoo, Finland, including materials such as liquefied waste plastic and liquefied rubber tires. This lays the foundation to handling larger amounts of liquefied raw materials to support ...

Which research and innovation approaches can help the EU achieve a sustainable supply of critical raw materials

Three sets of measures for greater independence on the raw materials market

23-Jul-2024 - Raw materials are crucial resources when it comes to prosperity and quality of life in the European Union. However, various raw materials are categorized as critical due to the uncertain supply situation. Through research and innovation, the European Union can improve its supply of critical raw ...

Mining rare earth metals from electronic waste

Start-up wants to turn waste into treasure

10-Jul-2024 - ETH researchers are developing a process inspired by nature that efficiently recovers europium from old fluorescent lamps. The approach could lead to the long-awaited recycling of rare earth metals. Rare earth metals are not as rare as their name suggests. However, they are indispensable for the ...

Efficient Recycling Process for Rare Earths Through Bioleaching and Bioaccumulation

Great potential in the recovery of valuable materials from electronic waste: Up to 85% recovery of rare earths achieved in the laboratory

12-Jun-2024 - A research collaboration between BOKU Tulln and IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems is using the further development of bioleaching and bioaccumulation to develop a two-stage, environmentally friendly and sustainable process for recovering rare earths. In the bioaccumulation step, metal ...

Will the climate transition be a battle of materials?

Heavy additional demand for commodities like cobalt, lithium, copper, aluminium and iron: Countermeasures include behavioural changes in mobility, housing and nutritin

06-Jun-2024 - As things stand today, global demand for cobalt and lithium for e-car batteries will increase almost twenty-fold by 2050. By then, the development of a fossil-free power supply will require a lot of copper, aluminium and iron, and the respective demand is likely to roughly double. Rare earth ...

The energy and mobility transition: Sending demand for critical raw materials soaring

Demand for important minerals such as lithium, nickel and copper will be as much as 15 times higher in 2040 than in 2020

19-Apr-2024 - The world's industrial base and the global economy are undergoing a fundamental transition away from fossil fuels towards a carbon-neutral future. The shift to clean energy and electric drivetrains in the automotive and transportation sectors is sending the global demand for certain raw materials ...

Startups with patents and trade marks are 10 times more successful in securing funding

Biotechnology sector leads in the use of patents and trade marks, with nearly half of the sector’s startups seeking these essential rights

19-Oct-2023 - the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) have published a new joint study highlighting how much patents and trade marks can boost the success of European startups. The report shows that, on average, startups that possess these two types of ...

From Climate Gas to Raw Material

DFG Focus on Green Chemistry under Fluctuating Conditions

22-Sep-2023 - Wouldn't that be an elegant solution: to use the substance that is most damaging to the climate and threatens the future as a raw material for economic goods and everyday items? In fact, carbon dioxide (CO2), an unavoidable byproduct of civilization, is already being used in the laboratory to ...