We congratulate Antje Bangemann on her successful doctorate

On September 15, 2025, Antje Bangemann, a long-time employee at the Chair of Energy Process Engineering at TU Dresden, successfully defended her dissertation entitled "Comparative consideration of available methods for determining biogenic carbon dioxide emissions from waste incineration".

In her thesis, Ms. Bangemann addressed a highly topical issue in the context of national and European emissions trading: the determination of the biogenic share of CO₂ emissions generated during the incineration of waste. As waste consists of a mixture of biogenic and fossil fractions, this distinction is crucial for correct emissions reporting and for the assessment of climate-relevant emissions.

The starting point for their investigation was the amendment to the Fuel Emissions Trading Act, which has included waste in national emissions trading since 2024. As a result, the precise determination of the biogenic carbon content is becoming increasingly important, as only emissions from fossil fuels are subject to charges.

Ms. Bangemann compared various established and newer methods for determining these proportions - including mathematical methods such as the standard value method, the balance method, the simplified calculation method and the fractionation method, as well as metrological approaches such as the ¹⁴C method or selective resolution. She analyzed the respective requirements, advantages, uncertainties and limitations of these methods and also carried out sensitivity analyses and error calculations to assess the accuracy of the methods.

A particular focus was placed on practical application: The results of theoretical considerations were checked using measurement data from a grate firing pilot plant and compared with the values determined for a large-scale plant. This showed that the results of the various methods can differ significantly in some cases, which underlines the need for a plant-specific selection of methods. The dissertation thus provides a sound basis for operators and authorities to select suitable methods for determining emissions and apply them in a legally compliant manner.

In addition to her family and husband, numerous colleagues from the Chair of Energy Process Engineering were present at the defense to support her. With the successful completion of her doctorate, Ms. Bangemann can now use the academic title of Dr.-Ing.

After her time at TU Dresden, Ms. Bangemann will continue her professional career as an engineer at EEW - Energy from Waste GmbH. We would like to congratulate her on her successful doctorate and wish her all the best and every success for the future.