New recycling test and research center opened by Andritz and the University of Leoben
International technology Group Andritz has opened a new, modern test and research center for the recycling industry. As a result of the cooperation established in the Green Tech Cluster, the University of Leoben is also locating its Digital Waste Research Lab at this research hotspot. This will enable domestic and international customers to test how they can turn waste into even more recyclable materials. Over 600 people were interested in the digital opening.
The new Andritz Recycling Technology Center – ART Center for short – is equipped with innovative shredder technology from the recently presented Andritz ADuro product line and enables customers to carry out recycling trials under real plant conditions with industrial-scale equipment. The ADuro shredders can be used for pre- and post-shredding, as well as for fine granulation and disintegration of composite materials. This allows tests to be carried out with a wide variety of waste streams and complete recycling processes to be simulated.
“We know how important it is to continuously improve processes and products. That is why we offer our customers in the ART Center the opportunity to experiment with new machines and configurations as well as with different materials in order to find the really best solution for their needs,” explains Michael Waupotitsch, Vice President Reject and Recycling at Andritz. The new technology center has a total area of 3,600 m2 and is available to recycling customers from various industries and research and development facilities.
The same location also houses the newly opened Digital Waste Research Lab of the University of Leoben – a research center for waste recycling and waste management. The cooperation between Andritz and the University of Leoben creates synergies between research and industry to develop technologies and products for the future requirements of the recycling industry. “Recycling-oriented closed loop recycling management is an answer to our environmental problems. New innovative sorting and processing technologies can increasingly convert our waste into useful secondary raw materials,” adds Dr. Roland Pomberger, Professor at the University of Leoben and Head of the Chair of Waste Processing Technology and Waste Management.
“With the new research center of the lead company Andritz, Green Tech Valley continues to grow. In this innovation center in the south of Austria, 20 technology leaders and 1,800 university researchers are already working together to develop new solutions for climate protection and recycling management. Furthermore, 15 environmental technology competence centers are already located in Green Tech Valley,” says Bernhard Puttinger, Managing Director of the Green Tech Cluster.
The official opening of the ART Center took place as an online livestream event with more than 600 registered persons on November 12, 2020 together with the University of Leoben and under the moderation of the Green Tech Cluster.
