The deal is still planned for the current 2023/24 financial year (at the end of September), it said. The relevant authorities and Thyssenkrupp’s supervisory board still have to approve the transaction. Negotiations are also underway to take over a further 30 percent of the steel business. The aim is still to form a joint venture in which both partners each hold 50 percent.

At the end of November, Thyssenkrupp made public negotiations with Kretinsky about his entry into the steel business. CEO Miguel López hopes this will provide a solution to the expected higher energy costs in connection with the conversion to less climate-damaging production.

In the last financial year, Thyssenkrupp had to write off billions on its steel business, which suffered from weak demand and lower prices coupled with higher costs. Thyssenkrupp recently announced the reduction of capacity at the Duisburg site, which will also lead to further job cuts. (dpa)

World Intellectual Property Day Apr 26, 2024 By Dominik Hochwarth Reading time: approx. 2 minutes

Germany and France are EU pioneers in climate-friendly technology – at least when it comes to patents. However, China is increasing its investments, data shows.

Germany and France are European champions in innovations for clean technologies. This is shown by figures from the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Around 27% of all global inventions in this area have come from Europe in recent years, according to the two organizations. This makes Europe a “pioneer in groundbreaking inventions in clean and sustainable technological fields,” emphasized EIB President Nadia Calviño on the occasion of World Intellectual Property Day.

Low-carbon energy technology with the most patent applications

Low-carbon energy technologies, clean mobility and alternatives to plastics are the top topics in patent applications. The transition to a more sustainable economy is fueling the global innovation race. Europe, Japan, the USA and China are the most important players.

China is catching up, particularly when it comes to solar and wind power plants. The number of patent applications from the People’s Republic doubled last year. This means that China is on par with Germany when it comes to solar patent applications.

Sharp increase in registered patents

According to a survey by the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA), the number of published patent applications in the areas of solar, wind and other alternative energies rose by almost 19% to 1,289 last year. The solar technology sector grew particularly strongly, with registrations increasing by a third to 597. A significant part of this increase can be attributed to China, where 117 patent applications in the field of solar technology were published – more than twice as many as in 2022, as the Federal Office in Munich announced.

“In view of the immense challenge of a reliable and sustainable energy supply, it is encouraging that innovation activity in renewable energies has picked up again,” said DPMA President Eva Schewior.

Statistics Germany Apr 26, 2024 Reading time: approx. 1 minute

Renewable energies covered more than half of Germany’s electricity needs in the first quarter of 2024, which, according to BDEW, represents a positive trend for Germany’s energy future.

Over the course of the first quarter of 2024, according to estimates from the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the Federal Association of the Energy and Water Industry (BDEW), which were presented to the dpa on Friday, the share of renewable energies in the Electricity supply in Germany amounts to around 56 percent.

Also read: Renewable energies must grow even faster

According to this information, in the period from January to March, renewable energy systems generated a total of around 75.9 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, an increase of around nine percent compared to the same period last year. Wind turbines on land in particular have covered more than a quarter of Germany’s electricity needs with 39.4 billion kilowatt hours.

Going the extra mile to achieve our climate goals

“Hydropower has also made an above-average contribution to electricity generation in recent months, with 5.3 billion kilowatt hours of electricity,” the dpa continues to quote from the report. This corresponds to an increase of 27 percent compared to the same period last year. Hydropower plants would have covered a total of four percent of Germany’s gross electricity consumption.

Also read: IEA: China and renewable energies determine climate

Technical cooling systems Apr 25, 2024 By Bettina Reckter Reading time: approx. 2 minutes

Evaporative cooling systems can become real germ killers. That’s why large amounts of biocides are used here. An innovative concept that does not contain toxins was presented today in the German Bundestag.

Whether data centers, production facilities or power plants for generating electricity: they all need to be cooled to guarantee full performance. This often happens with evaporative cooling systems, in which water is the medium that absorbs the heat and releases it into the air. But this water is an ideal habitat for bacteria. They form real biofilms and can even pose a health risk to the population.

In order to prevent the systems from becoming contaminated, they must be maintained regularly. This also includes the use of disinfectants, so-called biocides, which are intended to prevent the growth of bacteria. According to estimates, more than 2 million tons of biocides, petroleum-based polymers and phosphates are used in Germany to prevent microbial contamination of cooling water. The basis for this is the regulation on evaporative cooling systems, cooling towers and wet separators (42nd BImSchV).

“Good bacteria” fight contamination in the cooling water

At a committee meeting of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Sustainable Development in the German Bundestag today, an innovative concept for water treatment in evaporative cooling systems was presented. It works with microorganisms instead of biocides. The ecological and economic advantages include lower water consumption and better wastewater quality, explained Michael Simon, technical manager at BlueActivity GmbH, which developed the process.

Natural water bacteria fight harmful biofilms

The main players in the “BA-Synbiorex” system are bacteria that also occur naturally in water. Within the cooling circuit, they prefer to attack those “colleagues” who usually form biofilms. This creates an effective network against harmful bacteria. This reduces maintenance and servicing costs.

automation Apr 25, 2024 By Martin Ciupek Reading time: approx. 2 minutes

The goal of several providers is to make robots so simple that they can also be used in trades. These could be seen at the Kuka Innovation Award 2024.

They cut dough in the bakery, pull cords through frames for looms and hold sheets in bending machines. Collaborative robots are increasingly opening up applications outside of classic industrial automation. This means they are also becoming increasingly interesting for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and craft businesses. The examples come from the Kuka Innovation Award 2024, for which three teams were nominated. The focus is on collaborative lightweight robots (cobots) of the LBR iisy type.

Winner of the Kuka Innovation Award 2024 makes sheet metal processing easier

The winner was awarded today at the Hannover Messe. It’s the “Ricobb” team. The robot concept from LVD Robotic Solutions bv and KU Leuven from Belgium is intended to help bring manufacturing processes back to Europe that are otherwise located in low-wage countries. A bending process is shown in which a sheet metal part is gripped several times and bent in a bending press. A special feature: The user interface for the robot is integrated into the human-machine interface of the bending press. Operators only need one user interface to automate processes on the machine without much programming knowledge.

Prize money of €20,000

For Volker Schmirgel, head of Kuka’s Technology and Innovation Center (TIC), “the level of maturity of the application” was the deciding factor in winning the trophy. “The product is almost ready to be delivered to the customer and is therefore a very convincing solution,” he says. The robot is mounted on a platform that can be pushed to the work site with rollers. The solution also has devices for storing the raw parts, for gripping them for further processing of the sheets and for storing the finished components. In addition to the prize money of €20,000, the team has already received a number of inquiries from potential customers at the trade fair.

Interactive robots help in weaving mills and bakeries

The other two nominated solutions are also worth seeing. The German-Indian team Yantra, made up of specialists from DLR as well as Reverie and NHDC, wants to support artisanal textile manufacturers under pressure and is keeping an eye on countries such as India, Japan and Indonesia. In their project, a “robot apprentice” helps the worker professionally produce hand-woven textiles in small factories. It is intended to make secondary activities such as stringing and marking looms easier, so that the staff has more time for the creative aspects of the craft.

Drive technology Apr 25, 2024 By Peter Kellerhoff Reading time: approx. 2 minutes

Drive manufacturer Weichai Power has introduced a diesel engine that exceeds the competition in terms of efficiency by almost 25%.

Drive experts around the world are trying to squeeze the last tenths of a percent of efficiency out of traditional combustion engines. For petrol engines it is currently around 37% and for diesel engines it is around 43%. It almost seems like a fairy tale that a new truck diesel engine from China promises an increase in efficiency of almost 25%. The company that introduced him is not just anyone – but Weichai Power, a leading Chinese provider of drive systems, especially for commercial vehicles. In addition, the group is represented in the top 25 largest multinational companies in China with sales of over €27 billion (2023). And: The efficiency of 53.09% stated by the manufacturer was confirmed by TÜV Süd North Asia, among others. So it’s not a fairy tale after all and perhaps the diesel is not a discontinued model after all.

Increasing diesel engine efficiency by optimizing four main systems

According to Weichai Power, the remarkable increase in efficiency was achieved through targeted optimization of the four main systems – combustion, air, fuel and friction. However, Weichai has not yet leaked more detailed information about the displacement and performance of the new drive. In China alone, diesel engines with a thermal efficiency of 53% could save around 31 million tonnes of fuel per year and reduce carbon emissions by 97 million tonnes. A small calculation example: If you assume that a heavy truck in Germany has a mileage of 250,000 km/year, such a vehicle could save around 12,000 liters of diesel per year thanks to its higher efficiency. At the current diesel price that would be around €20,400. In addition, around 31.8 t of CO would be produced per truck₂/year saved.

Despite the savings, the diesel engine is not climate neutral

Despite these enormous savings, diesel engines, when operated with conventional fossil fuel, unfortunately still do not remain climate neutral. However, Weichai Power’s achievement shows what is still possible in the development of internal combustion engines. The ability to save fuel and reduce emissions could cast this drive in a new light. It remains to be seen how this technological breakthrough will affect the entire automotive industry and the development of alternative drive technologies.

forensic science Apr 25, 2024 By Stefan Asche Reading time: approx. 2 minutes

A new technique from Loughborough University (UK) also works on tracks that were recorded several years ago. Unexplained old cases could be reopened.

So-called knockout drops such as zolpidem can be made thanks to a new process by researchers at Loughborough University now prove it on fingerprints. This could help solve many cold cases. Perpetrators who have made their victims unconscious with this preparation, for example to sexually assault them, may be able to be identified more quickly.

Fingerprints that are captured and stored with so-called gel lifters remain intact in this form for many years. Previously, it was not possible to extract information from them because the tangle of traces was too large, including from the gel itself. “Now fingerprints and other forensic traces can actually be interrogated for useful information,” says Jim Reynolds, a specialist in analytical chemistry and head of research.

It has long been speculated that fingerprints in gels contain valuable chemical information and could enable more accurate drug detection. Reynolds and chemistry doctoral student Ayoung Kim have now proven that it actually works. They embed the chemicals from the gel into tiny droplets of liquid, which they then ionize. Depending on their chemical properties, they gain or lose electrical charge. The drug chemicals being sought are more surface active than the gel-derived chemicals, allowing them to be separated from the mixture.

The process uses mass spectrometry

Using mass spectrometry, which identifies chemicals by measuring their molecular weight, the dangerous active ingredients can then be identified. The researchers successfully tested the technique on zolpidem-laced fingerprints taken from glass, metal and paper surfaces.

Explosives can also be detected

“Zolpidem was the focus of our research, but the method could equally well be applied to other substances that a person may have handled,” Reynolds said. Explosives, gunshot residue, paints and dyes are conceivable.