Photonics and Environment

We want to sustainably secure safe access to the resources light, water, air, energy or nutrients for production sites. Thus, we develop process and production systems, which are efficiently and flexibly adaptable and increase the efficiency and functionality of materials and components.

We are optimizing state of the art environmental applications such as water treatment and adsorption processes application-specifically. Fraunhofer UMSICHT is one of the pioneers of building integrated food production systems in Germany. Within the department »Photonics and Environment« we have been developing the basics for flexible systems using mass and energy sources of metropolitan regions from a very early stage. Hence, our competences reach from process engineering, adsorption technology for gases and fluids, micro‑structuring to optical technologies.

Light – Structuring and Effects

The overall topic "light as a resource" includes methods and processes developed amongst others in a laser and LED laboratory which apply light as a tool in a broad variety of production processes, e.g. laser processes in material structuring, as additive technologies for 3D print processes or also as lighting systems in plant growing or in decontamination. The biologic effect of light (human centric lighting) e.g. at the workplace is examined amongst others by the use of novel experimental lighting systems.

Water and Adsorption Technologies

We develop treatment systems for fluid and gaseous. Thus, we focus on the development or rather adaption of adsorption materials and advanced processes for water and waste water technologies with the priorities on decontamination, recycling and resource recovery. At present, we are developing very intensively new modular activated carbon processes with local regeneration units. In addition, we are working on the fact-based discussion around the topic of microplastics.

Indoor-Farming

Decreasing yields in the conventional cultivation of vegetables as well as further loss of cultivation areas, and impacts of the climate change lead to a steadily growing need for greenhouses worldwide. We use the flexibility of urban material flows for the developing of novel approaches, processes, and products for indoor-cultivating systems basing on the inFARMING^® concept.