Fine particles back into the raw material cycle
Within three subprojects, organic, metallic and fines that could be recycled into cement are being investigated. © FINEST
Industrial processes always produce fine-grained residues. These rarely find their way back into the industrial value chain, but are usually disposed of and represent a potential environmental risk. The FINEST project records and investigates various of these fine-grained material flows with the aim of developing new concepts to keep them in the cycle and safely dispose of remaining residues.
FINEST was successful in the Helmholtz Association's sustainability competition and will now receive 5 million euros in funding.
The project is coordinated by the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and involves teams at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), the TU Bergakademie Freiberg (TUBAF) and the University of Greifswald.
The HZB is participating in FINEST in a project on the degradation of microplastics. "Together with the UFZ, we want to investigate how microplastic particles can be degraded, for example by bacterial enzymes that we improve on a structure basis. In addition, we also want to work with the HZDR to develop new detection methods for micro- and nanoplastics," says Dr. Gert Weber, who conducts research in the Macromolecular Crystallography Group at the HZB.
Starting in July 2022, the researchers from the six participating institutions will work in the five-year project on ultra-fine materials of anthropogenic origin such as microplastics, mineral additives (additives) or metals, for which there are currently hardly any recycling options. Innovative processes are to be used to increase the currently still very low recycling rates of these fine particulate materials and to deposit the remaining residues harmlessly in order to advance a sustainable circular economy.
Read the full text of the press release at the website of HZDR
- Confirmed figures for the first time: Investments in BESSY are worthwhile for Berlin and GermanyAn impact analysis by DIW Econ demonstrates the scientific and economic value of BESSY II. Every euro invested yields three euros for Germany and as much as ten euros for the State of Berlin. Furthermore, the study provides an economic forecast for the construction of BESSY III.
The impact analysis was presented on 3 September 2026 to Dr Henry Marx, State Secretary for Science and Research in the Berlin Senate. He supports the investment and is a strong advocate for BESSY III. - Detailed insights at BESSY II into the oxidation processes of copperBefore pure copper oxide builds up, complex superstructures such as ‘29’CuxO, are formed. The new results on the '29' CuxO superstructure have relevance for catalyst research and corrosion protection in the development of safe copper containers for nuclear waste repositories.
- BESSY II: Evaporated perovskites in tandem solar cells improvedPerovskite-silicon tandem solar cells achieve significantly higher efficiencies than silicon solar cells on their own. One particularly attractive method is co-evaporation of the perovskite precursor molecules on top of the silicon subcell. Scientists at HZB have analysed film growth on the nanoscale at BESSY II and found a new way to improve the quality of the perovskite layer: adding a thin seed layer of caesium chloride between the two sub-cells promotes uniform perovskite growth and suppresses the formation of undesired lead iodide at the interface.