Colleagues from the CEET Nanotechnology Centre organised a meeting of the CirkArena research consortium. Experts from partner universities and research institutions presented the results of their work to date, current research topics and future research directions. Their shared goal is to explore new ways of making more efficient use of waste and secondary raw materials, thereby contributing to the development of a circular economy.
The CirkArena project focuses on developing new technologies and material solutions that enable more efficient use of raw materials and reduce waste generation. Its research activities are divided into four main areas: industrial waste specific to the Moravian-Silesian Region, biowaste, construction waste, and innovative materials and environmental technologies.
The meeting programme reflected the broad range of topics covered by the project. Discussions focused on areas such as recycling waste light metals, utilising slag from iron and steel production, processing fine-grained industrial waste and exploring opportunities for recycling specific materials. Attention was also given to the biological degradation of waste, new materials and thermal energy storage technologies.
The Nanotechnology Centre (CNT) is involved in the project's Biowaste research area, coordinated by Vladimír Sedlařík from Tomas Bata University in Zlín. The Biowaste and Biopolymers research section is led by CNT representative Karla Čech Barabaszová, who delivered a presentation entitled Recycled Materials and Hybrid Nanocomposite Materials at the meeting.
In her presentation, she highlighted tangible research outcomes that give waste materials a second life in new technological applications. Successful achievements include a utility model for the separation of magnetic materials and functional prototypes for zinc recycling. Another significant area of research involves developing hydrometallurgical methods for processing waste containing zinc and aluminium.
"Waste processing is no longer simply a matter of disposal. It is about discovering innovative potential where many would least expect it. We presented concrete results demonstrating the potential of metallurgical waste, biowaste and biopolymers. By combining these resources with our expertise and experience in nanotechnology, we are successfully developing new nanocomposite materials with a wide range of potential applications," said Karla Čech Barabaszová.
The use of cenospheres, a secondary raw material produced during coal combustion, also attracted considerable attention. Researchers are using them as carriers for silver nanoparticles prepared through environmentally friendly green synthesis. The resulting material can then be used to recover valuable metals from recycled batteries, specifically during the leaching of so-called black mass. Cenospheres are also finding surprising applications in medicine, where they serve as effective fillers in polymer composites used to manufacture bone cements.
A key part of CNT's activities is its close cooperation with the Recycling Cluster and its member companies. By connecting academic research with industrial partners, researchers can respond more effectively to specific technological needs and explore opportunities to apply new processes and materials under real-world industrial conditions.
The meeting of CirkArena's research teams was not only an opportunity to present the results achieved so far, but, above all, a platform for lively scientific discussion and exploring new opportunities for collaboration.
"I am delighted that, through cooperation with our partners, we are transforming nanotechnology research into solutions that have a direct impact on sustainability and the circular economy. In doing so, we are bringing fundamental research closer to practical industrial applications," added Karla Čech Barabaszová.