Network meeting on resource conservation and energy efficiency
The urgency of addressing global challenges such as climate change and resource scarcity underscores the importance of rethinking approaches to materials research. Thuringia’s innovation drivers are focussing on sustainable building materials, recycling and closed-loop material cycles. The »Thuringian Materials Day« industry event on 11 March 2024 at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar will feature keynote speeches, poster pitches and an industry exhibition. Participation is free of charge.
Awareness of sustainable materials, processes and technologies is growing. The construction industry in particular is on the move, with established building materials such as concrete undergoing rigorous load testing and extensive research. Nevertheless, these are to be gradually replaced by more environmentally friendly materials, such as straw or clay, as well as recycled building materials. There will be a shortage of many raw materials in the years ahead.
»As industrial processes come to a foreseeable end, the construction industry will no longer have access to essential raw materials in the long run,« explains Luise Göbel, Junior Professor of Mechanics of Engineering Materials at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. »In the construction materials industry, this pertains to resources such as coal fly ash, granulated blast furnace slag and FGD gypsum, which may become scarce in the near future or only be available in limited quantities due to the phasing out of coal and changes in steel production,« the junior professor continues.
The problem: »Altering the composition of the raw materials also impacts the material properties, including the strength of concrete,« explains Luise Göbel. The search for new, alternative materials requires innovative analytical methods. The young professor will present the specifics at the symposium entitled: »Micromechanics – With experimentation and modelling to sustainable building materials«.
22nd Thuringian Materials Day in Weimar
With this symposium, the State Development Corporation of Thuringia (LEG Thüringen) is pursuing an ambitious goal: Thuringia aims to establish itself as a pioneer in the innovation of new materials, technologies and processes to enhance resource efficiency, foster closed-loop material cycles and promote sustainable design. Participants can expect a wide-ranging programme featuring keynote speeches, individual and tandem lectures and an industry and poster exhibition. The event will kick off with a keynote speech by Prof. Michael Stelter of Friedrich Schiller University Jena, who will establish a connection to the Thuringian Water Innovation Cluster (ThWIC) by addressing the topic of »The Relationship Between Materials and Water«.
»Thuringian Materials Day« is an initiative of the State Development Corporation of Thuringia and takes place annually at various venues in Jena, Weimar and Ilmenau. The symposium offers a great opportunity for productive discussion and sharing of ideas and experiences related to current and future topics in materials development, testing and applications. The 2024 event is being organised by the F.A. Finger Institute and the Materials Research and Testing Institute at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar in close collaboration with TRIDELTA Campus Hermsdorf. The findings from Materials Day will be subsequently published on the online platform »MiT - Material innovativ THÜRINGEN«:
www.material-innovativ.de
22ND THURINGIAN MATERIALS DAY
11 March 2024, from 9 am
Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
Audimax, Steubenstrasse 6
Those interested can still register for the event until 10 March. Further information about the programme can be found on the symposium page:https://www.uni-weimar.de/de/bauingenieurwesen/forschung/tagungen/22-thueringer-werkstofftag/