10 years of TALENTA – Julija Lucic: Sustainability through sensor-based sorting

Sensor-controlled sorting for recycling materials: Recognizing valuable material on printed circuit boards is one of the topics that drives Julija Lucic’s research. In the Sorting and Laboratory Systems group at the Development Center X-ray Technology EZRT, her work focuses on sorting systems that use X-ray technology for material differentiation. “Here we use multi-energy X-ray technology to obtain more detailed information about the objects we’re investigating. We mainly sort materials in the areas of recycling, food safety, and mining,” Lucic explains. The TALENTA program has helped her to further develop her strengths.

Sensor-based sorting can also be used directly at a mine. “When mining for copper, which is one of the most widely used materials in our everyday lives, sensor-based sorting lets you detect rock with minimal copper content, or waste rock, early in the process. This makes mining more environmentally friendly. We tested our method in the Rewo-Sort project. Sensor-based sorting reduces the amount of energy and water that mining requires, since you no longer need to crush, transport, and process worthless waste rock,” Lucic says.

As an X-ray technology expert, Lucic also supports the groups at Fraunhofer EZRT in applying for public third-party funding from national and international funding programs. Her enthusiasm is palpable: “Applying for funding requires a lot of communication as well as a good overview of the activities in the group and at EZRT – and that suits me perfectly. When I look at the various funding announcements, the first question I ask is: What can we contribute here? We then work up our idea and find suitable project partners from industry and other research institutions. Throughout the process, it’s essential to coordinate with the respective project sponsors if our application is to be successful. I act as a kind of interface between the project partners and EZRT on the one hand and the project management organization on the other. This task has a lot of different aspects to it and requires both technical understanding and the ability to bring together and link expertise and knowledge from different disciplines.”

Seven years have passed since you took part in the TALENTA program. What are your thoughts as you look back at that time?

In my first year as a research scientist, I was very busy focusing on my career. During my medical engineering and information technology studies, I acquired the basics for working in the field of industrial X-ray technology applications. TALENTA start gave me the opportunity to try out different things and find out where my strengths and interests lay: Do I want to do lab work? Algorithm development? Project management? The wide range of my activities equipped me well for the complex challenges of my current tasks, and it meant I was able to gain a lot of experience that I could learn from as I developed further.

What are your career prospects and future plans?

This year, I’m taking part in the Fraunhofer Research Manager award program to further develop my skills in networking and strategy as well as innovation management, transfer management, and recycling management. Engaging in cross-institute exchange on current social and technical challenges also lets me expand my Fraunhofer network and strengthen existing connections. In the future, I’d like to do even more to promote strategic technology development within my department and across the entire research area.

Back to TALENTA – What was the biggest benefit for you and your research work?

The TALENTA support program focuses on personal development and professional careers. The biggest benefit of the program for me is the networking. Each of us TALENTAs brings different expertise to the table, and as a Fraunhofer network, we can exchange ideas with each other, so we all have access to this enormous pool of knowledge. As an alumna, I also see myself as an advisor to current participants, supporting them with regard to any questions they may have.

What drives you in your research work?

I’m fascinated by the possibilities that X-ray technology opens up and the problems it can solve. The applications are multifaceted and exciting: from improving food safety by detecting foreign bodies to increasing the recycling rate of certain materials by improving the selectivity of sorting, the range is very broad. I’m driven to help solve current challenges or to improve existing solutions. I’m also impressed by X-ray technology in general, as it makes the inside of objects visible without destroying them.

Was there a particular experience that triggered your passion for science?

There was no one experience in particular. I’ve always been curious to understand how things work, and I never stopped asking questions. With my engineering studies, I laid the foundations for full and complete knowledge and comprehension. I understand the fundamentals of what’s going on at a mathematical, physical, and information technology level, but everything else I learned while working at the Development Center for X-ray Technology EZRT. The willingness among my colleagues to exchange ideas and the way we support each other are crucial for me and my work.

The interview was conducted by Saskia McDonagh, editorial team, Fraunhofer IIS Magazine