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RETSCH Scientific Challenge Enabling Progress with Ball Mills

We proudly present the award winners of the Scientific Challenge!

We were overwhelmed by the abundance of innovative submissions we received from 23 countries, which gave us an idea of the great variety of applications ball mills are used for in research. 
All projects aim at improving environmental and social conditions and increasing sustainability. We are proud that our ball mills form a part of these innovations directed at enabling progress for a better future.

These 3 projects have been awarded with the main prize - a new RETSCH ball mill:

Drs. Riccardo Gallorini and Benedetta Ciuffi

Università degli Studi di Firenze, Olaszország

José Manuel Mendoza, Gabriela Tarango, Ivanovich Estrada, Carlos Gamaliel Garay, Roberto Martinez

Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, S. C., Chihuahua, Mexico

Prof. Petrica Vizureanu, Madalina Simona Baltatu, Assoc. Prof. Andrei Victor Sandu 

Gheorghe Asachi Technical University Iasi, Románia

Functionalization of biochar from waste biomass for sustainable production of energy and secondary raw materials

Engineering Environmental Solutions: Graphite expansion preparation through mechanochemical route for oil removal in water

Sustainable biomaterial innovations for healthcare - study on the microstructural evolution of Ti-Mo-Si based alloy obtained by high-energy ball milling

These projects will receive a RETSCH goods voucher:

  • Dr. Jana Novotná & Team | Technical University of Liberec, Csehország
    Microplastics from textiles in aquatic ecosystems: identification, characterization and effects assessment

     
  • Yuichiro Kobayashi & Team | Osaka University, Japán
    Creation of sulphur polymer composite materials
     
  • Dr. Vasco Bonifácio & Team | Instituto Superior Técnico,  Portugal
    Mechanosyntesis of lycopene oligosulfides by inverse vulcanization
     
  • Anthony Psulkowski | Institute for Advanced Materials, Egyesült Államok
    Synthesis, characterization, and printability evaluation of lunar regolith for selective laser sintering in off-world in situ resource utilization fabrication

     
  • Dr. Ina Vollmer & Team | Utrecht University, Hollandia
    Catalytic grinding spheres for chemical conversion of plastic waste
     
  • Dr. Blaine Fiss & Prof. Mita Dasog | Dalhousie University, Kanada
    Mechanochemical synthesis of metal nitride and carbon nitride nanocatalysts for photocatalytic water treatment and ammonia generation
     
  • Natalia Rosiak, Ewa Garbiec i Judyta Cielecka-Piontek | University of Medical Sciences Poznań, Lengyelország
    A green approach to delivering poorly soluble polyphenols with proven biological properties
     
  • Luis Schnürer | Technical University of Munich, Németország
    Artificial Intelligence for smart design and testing of cement and concrete

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who participated in the Scientific Challenge. We are inspired by the innovative ideas and research that were submitted, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact they will have on our environment and our future.

If you are interested in a quote or require further information, please contact us.

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What is the RETSCH Scientific Challenge?

Enabling Progress – under the umbrella of Verder Scientific, the manufacturing companies support thousands of customers worldwide in achieving a common goal: to enable progress – to the benefit of many.

With this in mind, RETSCH has launched the Scientific Challenge. This is aimed at all scientists working in research who use ball mills in their research projects.

In this way, we promote projects in the categories of green chemistry, materials science and life sciences but also welcome contributions from scientists working in other fields.

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Ball mills make an important contribution to research due to their great versatility and enormous performance potential. They generate nanoparticles, disintegrate cells or help to produce new materials through mechanical synthesis.

The range of research applications for which RETSCH ball mills are used is versatile:

  • Chemical syntheses by using kinetic energies and mixing effects in ball mills: Generation of new metal organic frameworks (MOFS) for hydrogen storage
  • Investigation of piezoelectric and piezo-photocatalytic properties of lithium niobate (LiNbO3) nanocrystals for miniaturization of optical components
  • Cell disruption for isolation of complex membrane proteins: Defective protein folding is a risk marker for Alzheimer's disease

Our application experts, Dr. Lena Weigold and Dr. Gerhard Beckers, explain the benefits and capabilities of the RETSCH Ball Mills.

Enabling Progress: Tell Us About
Your Research Project

Do you work with ball mills as part of your research or do you know committed colleagues who use ball mills?

Then take the opportunity to participate in the Scientific Challenge. We are looking for projects that help to enable progress - this can be in areas like life sciences, material sciences or green chemistry but we are open to contributions from all fields.

Our expert team will select the three most promising projects among all submissions to be awarded with a brand-new planetary ball mill or mixer mill with grinding jars. Even if your project is not among the first three, you still have the chance to receive one of six RETSCH goods vouchers.

You can win the following prizes

  • 1st prize: a PM 300 or MM 400 plus 2 x 50 ml steel jars
  • 2nd prize: 1000 Euro RETSCH goods voucher
  • 3rd prize: 500 Euro RETSCH goods voucher

The Widest Portfolio of Ball Mills in the World

From cell disruption to nano grinding: our range of ball mills is unrivaled throughout the world.

  • Mixer Mills
  • Planetary Ball Mills
  • High Energy Ball Mills
  • Drum Mills

Our Novelties

Mixer Mill MM 400
Dry, wet and cryogenic grinding of up to 2 x 20 ml of sample.

Planetary Ball Mill PM 300
Grinding down to the nanometer range of up to 2 x 220 ml of sample.