Scavanger - RWTH Aachen University (IME), Germany

RWTH Aachen University (IME), Germany

As one of the universities in Germany awarded the status of "Excellence University", RWTH Aachen University, established in 1870, is a leading technical university in Germany and Europe with over 40,000 students and more than 500 professors.

IME Institute represents RWTH Aachen University in all research and teaching fields of ‘metallurgical process and metal recycling’. Core competencies are under- and postgraduate education, practical training of process engineers as well as the development of sustainable, environmentally friendly and cost-effective methods for the manufacturing and recycling of metal containing materials. A second research platform comprises all technologies for liquid metal processing, especially vacuum (re)melting and purification. The available know-how and equipment allows the validation of production processes for metal winning, recovery and refining. New recycling and environmental optimized routes as well as the in-house production of chemicals and powders in lab- and pilot-scale can be tested. The aim of IME is to develop innovative application oriented processes from lab to industrial scale by considering the economic and ecological aspects.

RWTH Aachen University (IME), Germany

Participation in the ScaVanger project

In ScaVanger the IME execute various process techniques to upgrade intermediate products.

Al-Sc master alloy is produced by aluminothermic reduction in a vacuum induction furnace. For this purpose, a small-scale parameter analysis is carried out followed by a scale-up. In order to enable industrialization, automation of the process is attempted.

Furthermore, the valorisation of the Nb-rich residue from the filter cake is performed. Therefore, first a calcination step is necessary to expel hydrate water. Afterwards the oxides produced are treated aluminothermically to generate a salable alloy with high purity for high-tech applications.

ScaVanger project team

Synthesis of Al-Sc master alloys and scale-up

Calcination and valorisation of Nb residue

Head of the institute

Kic project coordinator

Publication

Brinkmann, F.; Mazurek, C.; Friedrich, B. (2019). Metallothermic Al-Sc Co-Reduction by Vacuum Induction Melting Using Ca. Metals 2019, 9, 1223, Special Issue "Advances in Pyrometallurgy", Metals 2019, 9; DOI: 10.3390/met9111223.
Arnold, A.; Milicevic, K.; Brinkmann, F.; Friedrich, B. (2018). Metallothermic Scandium Synthesis – a Thermochemical Study Part I: Phase equilibria of ScF3 reduction with Ca and Ca-Zn alloy investigated by triangulation and tetrahedration methods. World of Metallurgy – ERZMETALL 71 (2018), Issue 5.
Achimovičová, M.; Hassan-Pour, S.; Gock, E.; Vogt, V.; Baláž, P.; Firedrich, B. (2014). Aluminothermic Production of Titanium alloys (part 1): Synthesis of TiO2 as input material. Metallurgical and Materials Engineering 20(2), 141-154.
Hassan-Pour, S.; Vonderstein, C.; Achimovicova, M.; Vogt, V.; Gock, E.; Friedrich, B. (2015). Aluminothermic Production of Titanium Alloys (Part 2): Impact of Activated Rutile on Process. Metallurgical and Materials Engineering 21(2), 101-111.