{"id":9396,"date":"2019-12-11T10:37:06","date_gmt":"2019-12-11T09:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2025.mining-report.de\/english\/?page_id=9396"},"modified":"2020-03-26T10:44:08","modified_gmt":"2020-03-26T09:44:08","slug":"rwth-aachen-university-raising-the-profile-of-the-universitys-degree-courses-on-energy-and-natural-resources","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mining-report.de\/english\/rwth-aachen-university-raising-the-profile-of-the-universitys-degree-courses-on-energy-and-natural-resources\/","title":{"rendered":"RWTH Aachen University \u2013 Raising the Profile of the University\u2019s Degree Courses on Energy and Natural Resources"},"content":{"rendered":"A<\/span>bout 900 students have enrolled on the Specialist Group for Raw Materials and Waste Disposal Technology (FRE) at RWTH Aachen University, Aachen\/Germany. This is the young talent whose know-how is now very much in demand both in Germany and around the world. With its Bachelor\u2019s Degree course \u201cSustainable Resources and Energy Supply\u201d, its Master\u2019s courses on \u201cSustainable Energy Supply\u201d and \u201cRaw Materials Engineering\u201d and its proposed Master\u2019s Degree course on \u201cSustainable Underground Utilisation\u201d RWTH Aachen University is very well positioned to teach about sustainable and responsible strategies for raw material and energy supply and to undertake research in these thematic areas. The main focus of the courses in question is on conservation of resources, sustainability and environmental compatibility.<\/p>\n\n\t\t
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Author: <\/strong>Sabine Backus, M. A., Fachgruppe f\u00fcr Rohstoffe und Entsorgungstechnik (FRE), RWTH Aachen University, Aachen\/Germany \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Introduction<\/h4>\n\n\t\t
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Environmental action groups are back in vogue. The young have become involved in protect groups such as \u201cFridays for Future\u201d and have demonstrated real determination in bringing the movement\u2019s troubled conscience to the wider society. Hot topics such as climate change and biodiversity are now very much in the media limelight and this is having a real influence on why school leavers are opting for a particular study course.<\/p>\n

At the same time global demand for energy and raw materials continues to grow and the task remit that falls to the engineers working in this field has now gone beyond the provision of adequate supplies of energy and resources. New spheres of activity such as sustainability, environmental compatibility and the conservation of resources are becoming increasingly important and have become a growing focus for research and development work.<\/p>\n

The degree courses in raw materials and energy at RWTH Aachen University, Aachen\/Germany, have been adapted to match the evolving social and technological requirements (Figure 1). There is a real need for future-proof strategies on the supply of energy and natural resources \u2013 a very responsible task that also presents an extremely exciting challenge for the engineers of the future.<\/p>\n

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Fig. 1. The Faculty of Energy and Natural Resources at RWTH Aachen University has adapted itself to changing social and technological demands. \/\/ Bild 1. Der Fachbereich Rohstoffe und Energie an der RWTH Aachen hat sich an die gesellschaftlichen und technischen Erfordernisse angepasst. Source\/Quelle: FRE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t\t
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The new Bachelor\u2019s Degree course \u201cSustainable Resources and Energy Supply\u201d has got off to a great start<\/h4>\n\n\t\t
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The new Bachelor\u2019s Degree course \u201cSustainable Resources and Energy Supply\u201d at RWTH Aachen University, which replaces the outgoing Bachelor\u2019s course \u201cRaw Materials Engineering\u201d, got off to a very successful start in the winter semester 2018\/19 with 146 incoming students enrolling on the programme. This trend has continued at the beginning of the winter semester 2019\/20 with 161 new students enrolling on 5th November 2019.<\/p>\n

The course of study is spread over six semesters and is devoted to the sustainable provision of sufficient sources of energy and to the environmentally compatible extraction and utilisation of the natural resources that are required. In order to meet mankind\u2019s growing need for natural resources improvements are needed to the methods used for the exploration and extraction of primary raw materials, though even with better technology there will still be only limited resources available. This makes it all the more necessary to drive ahead with the development of new technologies for the recovery and reprocessing of these crucial materials \u2013 with \u201crecycling\u201d now very much the word of the moment.<\/p>\n

Finding a suitable raw material remains key to energy supply. Here the much maligned fossil fuels continue to play a role that is just as important as that of renewables. Coal, gas and oil on one side, and biomass, solar energy, wind and water power on the other (Figure 2) \u2013 all have a vital contribution to make towards meeting basic supply needs. And with Germany edging ever closer to the phasing-out of nuclear energy we now need the best possible mix of both the permanently available resources and the intermittent forms of energy. This obviously requires efficient extraction and processing methods along with intelligent recycling systems.<\/p>\n

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Fig. 2. The Vianden pumped storage power plant. \/\/ Bild 2. Pumpspeicherkraftwerk Vianden. Photo\/Foto: FRE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to its basic engineering and subject-specific content the new degree course \u201cSustainable Resources and Energy Supply\u201d will from the third semester on also offer the following three specialisation options:<\/p>\n