Recycling and Material Cycles

11B2122

Bachelor

German

5.0

only winter term

1 semester

The responsible use of resources requires the recycling of material flows. Many products can be fully or partially returned to existing material cycles at the end of the value chain via recycling. The aim of recycling is to reduce the use of raw materials while minimizing energy consumption and emissions. Typical recycling processes deal with short-lived products made of plastics, metals, wood, paper or old products such as batteries. The aim of the circular economy is the sustainable use of natural resources. Due to the finite nature of various elements, phosphorus and nitrogen are increasingly being recovered for reuse in biorefineries. Urban mining looks at the extraction of secondary raw materials from long-lived products from anthropogenic deposits.

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1. Material cycles in the ecosystem (carbon, N, P, S, ...)
2. Fundamentals of circular value creation / circular economy
3. Analysis of material cycles (raw material consumption and secondary raw materials)
4. Definition and overview of resources and raw materials / finite nature of natural resources
5. Residual and waste materials, recyclability
6. Recycling chains (material and energy recovery)
7. Exemplary processes of thermal, mechanical and biological recycling technology, e.g. for household waste (green dot, paper, glass, bulky waste, etc.), metals, plastics, electronic waste, batteries, etc.
8. Biorefineries (recovery of phosphorus and nitrogen, among other things)
9. Urban mining

The total workload for the module is 150 hours (see also "ECTS credit points and grading").

• Written examination or
• Oral presentation, with written elaboration

The examiners choose the type of examination from the options provided and inform the students at the beginning of the semester.

The presentation comprises a written paper of approx. 5 pages and a presentation of approx. 20 minutes.

Basic knowledge of mechanical, thermal and biological processes as well as the sustainability concept

Students demonstrate a broad specialist knowledge of recycling and material cycles.

Students are able to explain the main mechanical, thermal and biological recycling processes.

Students can classify various approaches from the field of circular economy and evaluate their potential.

Students transfer the knowledge they have acquired to specific problems and combine different processes according to the task at hand.

Students reflect critically on their professional actions with regard to ecological sustainability aspects.

• Mertens, Tobias

• Mertens, Tobias