Press releases

Microplastics and plastics are widespread in the environment. However, it is still largely unknown where the small particles and fibres come from and what effects they have on freshwater systems. This is why the LimnoPlast project was launched on 1st November, in which 13 European project partners cooperate within the topic. The project is funded by the EU from the Horizon 2020 program for four years with almost 4.1 million euros and offers doctoral students an interesting working environment.

The efficient recycling of recyclable materials can make significant positive contributions by tackling resource use and consequently addressing climate change. This is confirmed by the presented study ‘resources SAVED by recycling’, which was prepared by Fraunhofer UMSICHT on behalf of the ALBA Group. According to the study, the ALBA Group reduced climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions by 4.4 million metric tons in 2018 through recycling 5.6 million metric tons of recyclable materials. This corresponds to the climate protection effect of a mixed forest measuring over 441,000 hectares, equivalent to an area almost twice the size of the Saarland. What’s more, recycling saved 31.9 million metric tons of resources such as ores, coal and wood compared with what would otherwise be derived from primary production.

Climate protection is one of the major challenges of our time. It is becoming increasingly clear that a substantial transformation of industrial value chains and production processes is needed in order to meet the climate protection targets of the Paris Agreement. Carbon-neutral hydrogen will play a decisive role in this transformation: the discussion paper published jointly by industrial stakeholders and scientists shows the crucial relevance of hydrogen for the energy transition, outlines the challenges associated with the development of the necessary infrastructure and also addresses policymakers by providing clear recommendations for action.

As plastics production continues to grow globally, topics such as »microplastics« and »plastics in the environment« are becoming increasingly relevant and are part of social and political debates. Usually the focus of the discussions is on plastic pollution of aquatic ecosystems, whereas the pollution of soil ecosystems is often neglected. This raises the question of whether plastic pollution of soils and fields can have similar effects as in limnetic and marine ecosystems. In the »iMulch« project, funded by the EU and the German federate state North Rhine-Westphalia, scientists are developing new measuring methods to analyse the effects of plastics (micro and macro plastics) on soils and drainage waters.

The proportion of the urban population is growing steadily and thus the challenge of a sustainable food supply. In future, German and Japanese researchers want to cooperate more closely in the development of new technologies for urban horticulture.

Technological progress, forward-looking concepts, optimized processes. In increasingly shorter cycles, society is confronted with new developments – that does not necessarily receive a wide acceptance in the population. Therefore, it is even more important to present new technologies comprehensibly. This is the only way to make recognizable the added value of the development. The UMSICHT Friends and Patrons Group honors people with the UMSICHT Science Award who support the dialog between science and society through their work. In 2019, the award is going to be presented for the tenth time in the categories science and journalism and is endowed with a total of 10,000 EUR. Applications will be accepted until April 7, 2019.

Fraunhofer UMSICHT tested a software tool developed by Henkel that detects viability early in the packaging design process.

Shift work throws the internal clock out of sync and means stress for the body. One of the reasons for this is that long phases of artificial light exposure disturb the natural day-night rhythm. Fraunhofer UMSICHT used an experimental lighting system at the BMW Group plant in Munich to investigate the influence this has on the body and mind.

Whether used for power supply or in electric cars, current battery systems are based on a series of interconnected individual cells, which has certain disad-vantages in terms of efficiency and manufacturing. Bipolar battery setups, in contrast, comprise compact stacks of individual cells. A new type of flexible and extremely thin bipolar plate allows batteries to be manufactured cost ef-fectively. At the Hannover Messe Preview on January 24, 2019 (Hall 19) and the Hannover Messe itself from April 1-5, 2019 (Hall 2, Booth C22), researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technol-ogy UMSICHT will be presenting the development of this technology.

The energy and raw materials industries are growing together and, at the same time, fluctuations in the supply of renewable energies are increasingly influencing production processes. The DYNAFLEX® High-Performance Center develops flexible solutions and system proposals, as well as operating and business models for sustainable cross-industrial networks. With an interac-tive exhibit, Fraunhofer UMSICHT is presenting a real-life example at Hanno-ver Messe 2019. Visit us from April 1 to 5 at stand C22, hall 2.