RITTEC and ICTV jointly win the Technology Transfer Prize of the IHK Braunschweig
RITTEC 8.0 Umwelttechnik GmbH, together with the ICTV, was able to convince the jury and the audience of the 36th IHK Technology Transfer Prize offering a promising solution for the circular economy with the revolPET® technology for monomer recycling of PET-containing waste. From the three finalists, the audience chose RITTEC and ICTV as the winners.
RITTEC 8.0 Umwelttechnik GmbH from Lüneburg was able to secure the main prize in cooperation with the Institute for Chemical and Thermal Process Engineering (ICTV) from the TU Braunschweig with a process for monomer recycling of PET plastics. The patented process works with PET bottles, packaging or polyester containing waste, such as textiles. For example, bottles can be made from textiles. The basis for the development of the process was laid by the BMBF project "Development of a recycling technology for PET waste plastics from multilayer and other waste composites - revolPET", which was funded from 2017 to 2020.
The two scientists Esther Brepohl and Lars Biermann from the TU Braunschweig have been part of the team led by Carsten Eichert and Professor Stephan Scholl from the very beginning. Now the fruits of the hard work are being harvested. "In terms of technology transfer, very valuable work by more than 20 students and six doctoral candidates has been incorporated into the development, which had a significant contribution to the success," says Professor Stephan Scholl. RITTEC 8.0 Umwelttechnik GmbH from Lüneburg was the initiator and thus involved in the developments right from the start. Other industrial partners contributed necessary additional skills. "In our research, it was important to us to align it close to the market and with a viable business model," reports Professor Scholl. "Our goal was to develop processes to be able to recycle materials that are not yet recyclable, such as those made from various plastic films or textiles," adds Carsten Eichert.
In the final, three consortia presented their solutions. In addition to the revolPET® technology (ICTV and RITTEC), Aeon Robotics GmbH (robot arm: "HandEffector") and Physens GmbH (magnetic field sensor technology from space travel for mobility and industry) were this year's finalists with their solutions. For the first time, the audience chose the winner from among the finalists who had previously been determined by a top-class jury. You can find more information about the revolPET® technology and the award ceremony of the 36th Technology Transfer Prize via the links below.
About revolPET®:
revolPET® is the recycling technology that enables the transformation of PET waste into high-quality products at virgin level, regardless of the input material. revolPET® meets the challenge of realising the depolymerisation in a continuous process without loss of value and performance. The vision is that the revolPET® technology will help to solve the global challenges with PET packaging and polyester textiles. The development of the revolPET® technology was funded as part of the BMBF research programme "Plastic in the Environment". Partner of the project were besides others RITTEC 8.0 Umwelttechnik GmbH and the Institute for Chemical and Thermal Process Engineering (ICTV) at the TU Braunschweig.
Ceremony Award of the 36th Technology Transfer Prize of the IHK Braunschweig:
The Technology Transfer Prize has been organized by the IHK Braunschweig since 1985. The aim of this Award is to honour successful transfers of new technological knowledge from research institutions to industry and to draw attention to the need for groundbreaking innovations. In 2023, the IHK Braunschweig was allowed to award the nationally known Technology Transfer Prize in the Lilienthalhaus at Braunschweig-Wolfsburg Airport.
Verleihung des 36. Technologietransferpreises der IHK Braunschweig - IHK Braunschweig (only in German).