11 June 2025

Sustainable batteries made from recycled raw materials, practical research on the international stage and strong Thuringian cooperation: At "The smarter E Europe 2025" in Munich, Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences showed how applied science is contributing to the energy transition.

The project team Melanie Ahnert and Henrik Dombrowski at "The smarter E" trade fair

(Photo: LEG Thüringen, photographer: Nicolas Gradicsky)

At the beginning of May, Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences presented itself at Europe's leading platform for the energy sector - "The smarter E Europe" in Munich. Under the guiding theme of "Accelerating Integrated Energy Solutions", the trade fair brought together four trade fairs and offered an impressive stage for innovative approaches to renewable energies, digitalisation and cross-sector supply solutions.

Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences was represented at the joint stand of Landesentwicklungsgesellschaft Thüringen (LEG) together with partners: enerkii GmbH, Fraunhofer IOSB-AST, Kyros Hydrogen Solutions GmbH, solvimus GmbH and TU Ilmenau. The ZirKat research project ("Circulating raw materials from lithium iron phosphate cathode material for the sustainable use of resources in battery production"), led by Prof. Dr Michael Rutz, took centre stage at the trade fair.

The ZirKat project aims to recover raw materials from lithium iron phosphate cathode material. The aim is to utilise the recyclates obtained directly for the production of new batteries. Processing is carried out using a combination of mechanical, chemical and thermal process steps in order to remove impurities and condition the raw materials in a targeted manner. The project thus makes a significant contribution to the implementation of the amended EU Battery Regulation.

Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences and its Thuringian Innovation Centre for Recyclable Materials are responsible for the mechanical processes and project coordination. K-UTEC AG Salt Technologies from Sondershausen is responsible for the chemical work packages, while thermal treatment is the responsibility of IBU-tec advanced materials AG in Weimar. Compliance with the high quality requirements for the recycled raw materials is monitored by Analytik Jena GmbH + Co KG. The company EAS Batteries GmbH contributes its expertise in battery production.

The project was initiated by the ThüLiBaRec (Thuringian Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling) consortium - an association of companies and scientific institutions that together form a competence cluster for sustainable battery raw materials in Thuringia. The project is funded by the research and development programme "Thuringia Verbund Dynamik" and is co-financed by the European Union as part of the ERDF programme 2021-2027.

The three days of the fair offered a wide range of opportunities for professional networking, exchanging experiences and initiating new collaborations and project ideas. In addition, the degree programmes offered by Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences also met with lively interest - and not only from trade visitors. The open and practice-orientated presentation of the university showed once again how visible and relevant applied research and teaching from Nordhausen are far beyond the region.