CircEcon
Center for Green Circular Economy
The fields of chemistry, process engineering, and Mechanical Engineering must work together synergistically to keep product parts and components in the circular economy. The CIRCECON project is dedicated to this challenging integration task. This commitment sets it apart from other circular economy initiatives. The Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG) brings its many years of expertise and specialized problem-solving skills to the consortium, particularly in the mechanical sorting of mixed waste materials. However, this is only part of its contribution.
The Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG) is a research-intensive university of applied sciences in the region, whose roots lie in the “Energy University” and which, over the course of decades, has consistently addressed the pressing issues of the day. In 1992, the Social Sciences were added to the engineering disciplines, as it was recognized that numerous transformation processes could not be addressed through technical means alone. As a result, the HSZG’s research and academic focus has continuously evolved and adapted, incorporating issues from the social and economic spheres.
The necessary shift from a linear production chain toward circular systems was also recognized early on, incorporated into the HSZG’s teaching and research, and tested on-site at the laboratory and pilot scales. The CIRCECON project is now creating the opportunity to concentrate future research and development activities at a globally unique technology hub for the circular economy located in the Schwarze Pumpe Industrial Park. Here, the HSZG focuses in particular on disassembly, sorting, and thermal conversion, working closely with colleagues from the technical universities in Chemnitz, Dresden, and Freiberg.
The content of the three key research areas of the HSZG are defined as follows:
- In the long term, complex technical systems are to be dismantled fully automatically in the field of disassembly and virtual augmented reality solutions are to be integrated in order to achieve optimum recovery of parts and components.
- In the area of sorting, new sensor combinations and machine learning methods (e.g. artificial neural networks) are to be used to identify groups of materials. The aim is also to make these processes as flexible as possible in order to be able to react to constantly changing input flows. The products obtained are either further purified in chemical recycling (TU Dresden) or can be used directly as recyclate (TU Chemnitz).
- The Thermal Utilization research group deals with the extraction of energetically and materially "green" carbon from the residual materials that inevitably remain even after the application of modern recycling methods. It focuses on modern process combinations that are used at conventional conversion temperatures.
The economic, ecological and social effects are evaluated in all of this.
CIRCECON thus brings together researchers from a wide range of disciplines who collaborate across disciplines. In addition, the goal is to establish close ties with the technical universities in order to implement a holistic regional development strategy. At HSZG, everything comes together under Prof. Zschunke, who brings his experience as institute director and former Prorector for research to bear here.
Our cooperation partners
CircEcon campus for the circular economy
Video of the Free State of Saxony
Dates & Events
Here you will find all the dates on which we present the CircEcon project to the public.
at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences
Organized by the Dresden Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the General Association of Entrepreneurs of Zittau and Surrounding Areas e.V., Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, and the Dresden Chamber of Crafts
at the Juliet-Curie-Gymnasium Görlitz
at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences
Organized by the Hoyerswerda Education Coordination Office
in Hoyerswerda, an event organized by Circular Saxony
Internal university event
an event organized by futureSAX in the Bluebox Görlitz of the HSZG
on the topic of "The future under tension: energy, AI and us in the city of tomorrow" at the HSZG in Görlitz
“CircEcon - Center for Green Circular Economy” - a status and planning report.
HSZG, Zittau, Building Z VII, Room 111
“Cutting-Edge Research in Upper Lusatia—How WE, the Local Economy, and the Academic Community Benefit” at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences
Leading topic "5 years of structural development in the Saxon part of the Lausitz mining district" in the Lausitzhalle Hoyerswerda
Presentation of research projects in the visitor center of the Boxberg power plant
of the Saxon Agency for Structural Development (SAS) GmbH at Juliet-Curie-Gymnasium Görlitz
Main Theme : “International Academic Professionals for the Region’s Structural Transformation—Needs, Limitations, and Success Factors, ” Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences
at ZCOM Hoyerswerda
with the energy efficiency and climate protection network in Schwarze Pumpe
in Hoyerswerda
at Chemnitz University of Technology
- Main website of CIRCECON, the Center for Green Circular Economy: www.circecon.eu
- HSZG online article from July 6, 2026: Turning Waste into Raw Materials
- "Business Meets Science" event (January 9, 2025) on the topic "Recycled Materials as Growth Drivers – Potential for the Lausitz Economy"
- HSZG online article about the event
- Presentation of the keynote address by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Niels Modler: “The CircEcon Research Factory—Saxon Scientists in Lausitz for the Circular Economy”
Contact at the HSZG
1st floor
Upper floor
Upper floor
Upper floor
Upper floor
Upper floor
Funding body
