Theme 1: Development of application-oriented materials, technology, theoretical and testing methods – for the development of knowledge-intensive domestic industry
Theme 2: New, product-oriented, bio-based developments in the circular economy
Name of beneficiary: Bay Zoltán Applied Research Nonprofit Ltd.
Application number: TKP2020-NKA-18
Index number: TKP-7-1/PALY-2020
Total cost of the project: 1.520.000.000 Ft
The amount of aid: 1.520.000.000 Ft
Aid intensity: 100%
The planned completion date of the project is: 2022. year
Sponsor: Ministry of Innovation and Technology
Managing body: National Research, Development and Innovation Office
Project summary
1. thematic area
The theme “Development of application-oriented materials, technologies, theories and testing methods” focuses on the development of advanced engineering materials, technologies and methods.
The objective of the R&D activity is to contribute to increasing the operational safety and lifetime of engineering structures and equipment through theoretical, modelling and experimental results. The development of intellectual capital and related infrastructure is a key factor for competitiveness. Our long-term goal is to strengthen our international competitiveness, both in terms of human resources and R&D infrastructure, and to develop new technologies, methods and systems for industry.
Research in this area will include the development of new materials, technologies and advanced materials science and engineering modelling methods, as well as modelling and investigation of in-service degradation processes.
In the area of materials and technology development, we focus on three areas.
We have been working with industrial laser technologies for more than 20 years. Here, a forward-looking, new area is the development of Laser Melt Deposition (LMD) 3D metal printing technology and the application development of femtosecond laser technologies.
The other focus is the new trend in materials development, the development of materials with high internal specific surface area, where we aim to develop different types of metal foams, based on our previous patents, into technologies for industrial applications.
The third topic chosen is the development of a molten battery, which is of great importance for efficient energy storage on an industrial scale. Based on the developed theoretical model, we will develop a laboratory prototype to lay the foundation for industrial application.
In terms of design methods, our research focuses on chemical thermodynamics-based material design. On the other hand, the development and validation of numerical methods for the analysis of structural elements. The research focuses on automotive and power plant equipment, structures and components.
The third aspect of the subject area is operational safety, which is related to the development of modelling and testing methods for the development of damage processes in operating equipment. This will include research on the detection of defects in structures, the development of modelling methods for different damage processes (e.g. stress corrosion, wear) and their validation by testing, and the investigation of the transferability of test results from test specimen to structure. As a result, validated, state-of-the-art numerical methods will be available for design, operational safety analyses and life cycle calculations.
The timeliness of the planned research is underpinned by the emergence of new structural materials, performance improvements in engineering equipment, unforeseen changes in technologies, and the consideration of the additional stresses often caused by different operating conditions due to longer expected service life (e.g. electric vehicles, nuclear power plants). The research results of the planned R&D activities can be applied both to the automotive industry and to equipment in high-risk industrial installations (energy and petrochemical industry). The planned developments will lead to more material- and energy-efficient products (weight reduction), technologies, and the production and operation of tools and equipment that can be used for longer and safer periods. This will contribute to environmental sustainability. In addition, the results of the project will allow us to launch new industrial collaborations with existing and new partners.
Most of the planned major future equipment purchases would involve new R&D infrastructure that is not yet available in Hungary. This will also open up new business opportunities for industrial R&D activities.
The research carried out under this theme is related to KETs (Key Enabling Technologies) as defined by the EU, and also to security issues in operating and ageing industrial infrastructures, which is also a priority area at EU level.
At international level, we intend to further increase our participation in international research projects in the future. On the one hand, we can intensify our research cooperation with the members of the international organisation NUGENIA, in particular in the framework of the EURATOM programme, in the related fields of this call and using the results. On the other hand, we are planning to participate in new projects in the framework of the EIT Raw Materials KIC and otherH2020 programmes.
2. thematic area
Applying the philosophy of circular economy in practice is a major challenge for R&D and innovation actors. Some of these challenges will be addressed in phases II-III of the Thematic Research Programme, continuing the development orientations of Phase I.
A summary of the research achieved and planned by the two research groups with high research potential is presented below:
The Bioeconomy Research Group conducts research in the field of bio-based yield enhancement, which aims to develop and produce microbial additives that enhance plant growth – by increasing resistance, supporting nutrient uptake or replenishing soil resources. The results of the tests will be monitored using new tools of agroinformatics (agricultural drone, multispectral camera), which in turn will be validated using large-scale analytics and molecular biology tools. The novelty of this development lies in the complexity of the analytical methods and the technology-based approach.
The novelty of this research is further enhanced by the fact that it focuses on the cultivation and promotion of medicinal and aromatic plants.
The activities of the Raw Materials Utilisation Research Group focus mainly on the recovery of rare earths by mobilising the metal content of mine tailings, industrial waste and slags and selectively recovering metal ions from the liquid phase. Laboratory and field tests will be carried out with academic and corporate partners, sometimes in international cooperation.
The activities of the two research groups are interlinked in that the Bioeconomy Research Group will carry out the extraction experiments of the active content of the medicinal and herbaceous biomass produced by the Bioeconomy Research Group, and will also investigate the possibilities of alternative uses of the plant biomass residues after the active content: the use of plant biomass residues as metal ion binding adsorbents, and the investigation of selectivity and capacity enhancing modifications.
Thus, the two research groups have focused on the cultivation of medicinal and herbal plants, their smart support and the multi-purpose use of the biomass produced, with a particular focus on the extraction of rare earths from secondary raw material sources – all supporting the sustainability and innovation potential of circular farming, environmental protection and smart agriculture.
