Around the world, up to 28 million tonnes of used refractory materials are produced every year. The majority of used refractory materials are primarily used for other purposes, e.g. as aggregates for road construction (downcycling) or deposited in landfill sites. The recycling of these materials has played a subordinate role to date. For ecological reasons and due to increased landfill costs, an increased need for research into the utilisation of recycled refractories has been identified in recent years.

The Research Training Group GRK 2802 has set itself the goal of researching high-quality reutilisation options for used refractory materials. The Research Training Group aims to develop basic scientific findings that enable both the recycling (reuse in similar high-temperature materials) and upcycling (material upgrading) of refractory materials in metallurgical processes.