As part of its membership in the Recycling Cluster, the Nanotechnology Centre (CNT) organised an expert seminar entitled New Trends in Industrial Materials Recycling, focusing on key challenges currently facing industry.
The seminar addressed major topics in industrial materials recycling, the circular economy, and the sustainable management of resources. Participants were introduced to modern industrial waste processing technologies, opportunities for recovering and reusing raw materials, and practical experiences from industrial enterprises.
The event was opened by Grażyna Simha Martynková, Director of the CNT, who highlighted the importance of modern recycling technologies for the sustainable development of industry in her opening address. She was followed by Stanislav Cingroš, founder of the Recycling Cluster, who delivered a lecture on the future challenges facing the recycling industry
“In ten to twelve years, we will be confronted with a huge volume of end-of-life batteries, and we must prepare for this in advance. For the Czech Republic, this represents a significant market opportunity. We have both strong research capabilities and a robust industrial base; now we need to effectively connect human and financial resources. The current collection and landfill system is insufficient. If we are to meet the stringent regulations coming into force in 2027, we must substantially increase the rate of genuine recycling and raw material recovery,” said Stanislav Cingroš.
The seminar was also designed to connect the activities of projects currently being carried out at the CNT with topics related to the circularity of critical raw materials, the circular economy of polymer materials, and the potential use of biodegradable polymers.
The programme also included a presentation by visiting researcher Büşra Cetinkaya from Sakarya University, Türkiye, who introduced her research focused on the sustainable production of iron submicron particles from recycled active material derived from LFP batteries.
As projects such as MATUR and CirkArena are implemented across the university, the lecture delivered by Adam Bureček from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, focusing on the role of hydromechanics in recycling processes, added a further interdisciplinary dimension to the materials research conducted at the CNT..jpg?attachmentId=5679&image=true)
The afternoon session was devoted to an open discussion. Participants debated not only the environmental benefits of recycling but also its significant economic advantages for industrial enterprises, as well as the technological and legislative challenges associated with the implementation of new technologies. An important contribution to the discussion was made by Jan Ženka, Head of the Research Team at the Department of Social Geography and Regional Development of the University of Ostrava.
The event formed part of the activities of the project Advanced Materials for Energy and Environmental Technologies (Reg. No. CZ.02.01.01/00/23_021/0008592), which is co-funded by the European Union and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic.