Reifenhäuser awards Sponsorship Prize for master thesis in sustainable plastics

Reifenhäuser has awarded a sponsorship prize worth €3,000 for students in honor of special research work performed in the field of plastics technology. The prize went to Melanie Kostka from the Technical University of Aachen (RWTH Aachen) in appreciation of her master thesis which demonstrated a high level of scientific quality and practical benefit.

With this prize we want to motivate young people who are passionate about research in the field of plastics technology to continue to strive for exceptional achievement. Creative research approaches call for totally new ways of thinking about materials and their applications, especially in the field of the practical and sustainable use of plastics. This is exactly what Melanie Kostka has done in her excellent paper.”

Bernd Reifenhäuser

CEO Reifenhäuser Group

The award-winner devoted her paper to foamed cellulose-based plastics obtained from renewable plant-based raw materials. Her thesis focused on researching the mostly unknown material properties of these plastics, in particular their flame-retardant characteristics which are a decisive factor for use as building insulation.

Bernd Reifenhäuser and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Hopmann, Head of the Institute of Plastics Processing at the RWTH Aachen (IKV), handed over the prize at the Troisdorf headquarters of the Reifenhäuser Group on August 25. The ceremony was broadcast as a video during the International Colloquium Plastics Technology. This year, the event took place digitally in the form of a video conference from September 8 through 11.

LTR: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Hopmann (Head of Institute for Plastics Processing at the RWTH Aachen), award-winner Melanie Kostka, and Bernd Reifenhäuser (CEO of the Reifenhäuser Group).

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