Two dissertations successfully completed at the IAK in the spring of 2026

As part of our research activities on sustainability, resource management, and the circular economy, two additional doctoral dissertations have been successfully completed in recent weeks in collaboration with partner institutions of our Chair.

Ms. Rui Yue focused on the technical implementation of phosphorus recovery with an emphasis on fertilizer efficacy as a means of making the non-renewable raw material phosphorus reusable through innovative sewage sludge treatment processes, as well as the potential for using the phosphorus-containing recycledproduct to support agriculture. It represents an important contribution to phosphorus recovery and provides practical insights for technical implementation. This work was primarily conducted at the VKD (Veolia Kärschlammverwertung Deutschland GmbH) site in Markranstädt.

Another dissertation was successfully completed in early June 2026 in collaboration with the United Nations research institute UNU-FLORES in Dresden by Ms. Luisa Ferolla Spyer Prates.

This dissertation addressed the challenge of how countries in the Global South can establish a fair and circular framework for the management of end-of-life electric vehicle batteries. Ms. Ferolla concluded that countries in the Global South have the opportunity to strategically build their own recycling infrastructures and thus become key stakeholders in the value chain of critical raw materials. Circular economy strategies should bring together civil society, private stakeholders, and governments, avoid burden-shifting, and establish a just circular economy. Additionally, Ms. Ferolla recommends involving the informal sector in strategic planning. Sustainability transitions in the Global South require the development of a common framework that combines the principles of the circular economy, the holistic perspective of the resource nexus, and the equity approach of the Just Transition.

Both studies contain important scientific findings that will undoubtedly serve as the basis for further research.