25.07.2025 Excursion to Germany’s largest iron foundry

As a highlight at the end of the semester, the course “Sustainability of Materials and Technologies”, taught by Lukas Wagner (Solar Energy Conversion group) visited Germany’s largest iron foundry, Fritz Winter in Stadtallendorf. After one semester of power point slides, it was a great experience to actually see the molten iron, feel the heat, smell the fumes and  hear the noise of the factory. The students could gain a feeling of the hidden energy (and CO2) embedded in materials we use every day, and the vast material streams passing through our industry (about half a million tons of molten recycled iron per year in this plant). In inspiring discussions, we could get insights into the huge challenges and the concrete steps taken to reach carbon neutrality and material circularity at this heavy industry branch.