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Nordhausen Resources Forum – 2026

1 October

until

2 October

2026

Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences

 

We are delighted to invite you back to Nordhausen for this year’s Resources Forum on 1 and 2 October!

At RF2026, we will examine the German Government’s action programme for implementing the National Circular Economy Strategy and discuss biogenic and mineral secondary material streams in greater detail.

The second day will also kick off with a series of short talks by young researchers and start-up founders, which will provide fresh impetus.

So do make sure you keep that date free – a final update on the programme and registration options will be provided shortly.

We look forward to seeing you there in October!

Programme for Day 1 – 1 October 2026

Opening & Keynote Speeches: "National Circular Economy Strategy"

Chair: Prof. Robert Wudtke

Time Programme item Speakers Institution
from 9.00 Coffee
10:00 Welcoming Prof. Dr Michael Rutz, Prof. Dr Jörg Wagner HSN
10:15 Keynote speeches from the worlds of politics, associations and industry on the action programme for implementing the National Circular Economy Strategy
12:00 Panel discussion    
12:30 Lunch

Session 1: Circularity and sustainability in the construction industry

Time Programme item Speakers Institution
13:30 Re-utilisation of precast concrete elements Prof. Dr.- Ing. habil. Angelika Mettke BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg
13:50 Article by the Centre of Excellence for Timber Construction and Renewable Raw Materials (KHoR)  Centre of Excellence Timber Construction and Renewable Raw Materials (KHoR) 
14:10 Building with clay Dr Jörg Peter AGT - Academy for Design and Technology GmbH
14:30 Discussion    
14:45 Coffee

Session 2: Secondary raw materials and mineral waste products: a new look

Presented by: Barbara Leydolph

Time Programme item Speakers Institution
15:30 Metallurgy as the key to European raw materials sovereignty amidst the tension between market-based indicators Dr Wolfgang Reimer Geokompetenzzentrum Freiberg e.V.
15:50 MinRest – Use of regional, finely-grained mineral waste materials to improve resource and CO₂ efficiency in concrete production in Thuringia IAB – Institute for Applied Building Research Weimar gGmbH
16:10 Comprehensive remediation and recycling of spoil heaps – mineral materials in the circular economy   Stefan Dierlich Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology Mineral Processing Department
16:10 Circular Economy in Thuringia, Workshop Rebecca Summer Thuringian Energy and GreenTech Agency GmbH (ThEGA)
16:30 Discussion    
16:45 Event 1: Guided tour of the Research Campus, ThIWert
16:45 Event 2: Circular Economy Thuringia demonstration workshop Thuringian Energy and GreenTech Agency GmbH (ThEGA)
from 6.30 pm Evening event Traditional distillery

Programme for Day 2 – 2 October 2026

Session 3: Young Scientists and Entrepreneurs

Chair: Prof. Sebastian Schmidt

Time Programme item Speakers Institution
from 8:00 Coffee
09:00

A 5-minute keynote talk on the following topics:

  • Sustainability
  • Resource substitution
  • Energy efficiency/Energy storage
  • CO₂ storage
  • Resilience of raw materials

 
10:00 Coffee  

Session 4: Biogenic residues – a market of the future

Presented by: Andreas Glimm

Time Programme item Speakers Institution
11:00 Keynote presentation: Waste streams Prof. Dr.-Ing. Achim Loewen – HAWK HAWK Göttingen, Faculty of Resource Management
11:30 Cascade use in value-added networks – How regional bioeconomy ecosystems are opening up new markets Henning Mertens DiP Saxony-Anhalt Model region for the bioeconomy
11:50 Best Practices from the sensor-based collection of bio-waste Stefanie Heeke on behalf of Mr Baumann Municipal Utilities Münster SWM
12:10 Low-temperature decontamination of mineral waste and soil contaminated with organic substances Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Franke Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology, UMSICHT Sulzbach-Rosenberg Branch
12:30 Could pyrolysis become a new source of income for biogas plant operators? Elisabeth Schloten KUROVIA GmbH
12:45 Noon

Session 5: Pyrolysis as a technology of the future

Chair: Prof. Uta Breuer

Time Programme item Speakers Institution
13:45 Keynote presentation:
Pyrolysis as a platform technology for regional carbon and resource cycles – From biogenic residues to renewable heat, sustainable carbon products and regional resilience 		Dr Maik Mattheis MattheisConsulting
14:15 Turning waste into raw materials – circular raw materials from pyrolysis; an explanation of the use of pyrolysis and gasification processes to produce non-fossil raw materials from waste, and a discussion of the technological prospects in the context of the circular economy. Dirk Gerlach Akkodis Germany Tech Experts GmbH
14:35 Digital infrastructure for scalable CO₂ removal Oliver Erb CulaTec
14:55 Pyrolysis as a business model: What really makes the difference between the initial investment in plant and the first revenue Tobias Neuber Actanol
15:15 Discussion  
15:30 Coffee - Get out

Event flyer for the Nordhausen Resources Forum 2026 on 1 and 2 October 2026. Key topics include the National Circular Economy Strategy (NKWS), circularity and sustainability in the construction industry, secondary raw materials, biogenic residues, pyrolysis as a technology of the future, and keynote presentations by young scientists and entrepreneurs. The logos of Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences, the Nordhausen Resource Institute (ResIn) and the Thuringian Innovation Centre for Recyclables (ThIWert) are shown at the bottom of the flyer.Photo: HSN

Details

Location:Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences
Date:1 October 2026 – 2 October 2026
Time:-
Organiser:Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences, Mechanical Engineering, Environmental and Recycling Technology programme, ThIWert
Target group:Graduates, all interested parties, students, companies
Speakers:

From industry, research and science

Type of event/series:Forum
Costs:

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