Visitors to the “Carbon Discovery Trail” will learn interesting facts about the element carbon in addition to gaining insights into the latest research on the production of sustainable chemical products or CO₂-neutral fuels.

Daily opening hours: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., at Fuchsmuehlenweg 9, 09599 Freiberg, Saxony, free admission.

“Carbon is contained in plastics, smart phones, T-shirts and the fuel in our tanks. This universal chemical element is found in about 90% of all known chemical compounds”, noted Prof. Dr. Bernd Meyer, Director of the Institute of Energy Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering at TU Bergakademie Freiberg (IEC). “While carbon is part of our daily life and contributes to our prosperity, its utilization is a burden on the environment and climate. With this exhibition, we invite interested visitors on a discovery tour to experience how carbon can be transformed from a problem to a true friend”, said Dr. Roh Pin Lee, head of the STEEP-CarbonTrans research group at the IEC.

Interactive content …

The “Carbon Discovery Trail” takes visitors to six interactive information boards on the premises of the Reichen Zeche, the Freiberg site for the 4th Saxon State Exhibition. There are interactive stations, videos and graphics inviting visitors to explore which raw materials and products contain carbon, but also the potential negative consequences of their utilization. Solutions are waiting just one station further, with practical examples to illustrate what each of us can do to reduce our carbon footprint. They also reveal how carbon can be utilized more sustainably in industry in the future to achieve a circular carbon economy.

…and insights into current research.

Another part of the program is a tour of the institute’s large-scale pilot plant facilities on site: “Here you can see very clearly which technologies are being developed for the sustainable utilization of carbon”, explained Michaela Nguyen, one of the two exhibition team leaders for the Carbon Discovery Trail. “Entirely new solutions for producing ‘green’ fuels and new plastics from waste are especially interesting. We also explain the significance of hydrogen for the energy transition” added Manuela Thiel, the second exhibition team leader.

Background

The Carbon Discovery Trail is a permanent exhibition on the Freiberg site program of the 4th Saxon State Exhibition which opens on July 11. The exhibition, supported by the EU within the educational project “Erzgebirge – new region, new chances”, aims to intensify the cross-border cooperation at the German-Czech border region Erzgebirge/Krušnohorí. Therefore, all information is presented in three languages: German, English and Czech. Project partners are TU Bergakademie Freiberg, the Lignite Research Institute (VÚHU) in Most and the Technical University (VŠCHT) in Prague. In the past three years, students from Germany and the Czech Republic have been provided support in particular for educational opportunities such as project days, excursions or internships in the field of environmentally friendly energy production.