In times of increasing pressure on industry and politics with regard to environmental protection and resource efficiency, science and research are called upon to make their contribution and find joint answers to some of the world's most challenging technological tasks. The newly established conference "ICRC - International Conference on Resource Chemistry" from March 23 to 24, 2020 in Darmstadt makes a decisive contribution to this topic by bringing together leading scientists from a wide range of disciplines. Whether chemists, material scientists or biologists: The aim of the conference is to jointly find solutions for securing and providing indispensable materials in a limited environment. The special focus is on applied resource chemistry in combination with new recycling technologies.

The scientific conference is organized by the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKS with the support of the Division "Solid-State Chemistry and Materials Research" of the German Chemical Society (GDCh), the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids and the Profile Area "From Material to Product Innovation" of the Technische Universität Darmstadt.

"The idea of the conference is to link the basics of chemistry and material science with applied research and technologies. Only if we really understand in detail what processes take place, for example, during the ageing of a certain material, can we develop new approaches to either replace critical elements with less critical ones or even reverse the development and induce a regeneration of the material. This way, we can succeed in (further) developing decisive technologies for preserving our resources and turning the vision of a world without waste into reality," says Prof. Dr. Anke Weidenkaff, Conference Chair of the ICRC and director of Fraunhofer IWKS.

The conference specifically covers a broad spectrum of research areas, from the substitution of critical elements to the development of sustainable materials and the establishment of efficient material cycles. The international conference will bring together scientists and experts from various fields such as resource and ecochemistry, biology, environmental science and technology, and material science. In six different sessions and a panel discussion on the evening of the first day, participants will have the opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas with the speakers.

"We were able to attract outstanding speakers from science, industry and politics to the conference. Our goal is to bring together the brightest minds in the field of resource chemistry - whether researchers, students or experts from industry," says Prof. Weidenkaff.

Journalists are requested to obtain accreditation in advance by e-mail at presse@iwks.fraunhofer.de. The event is free of charge for press representatives.