Press releases, interviews and news

The new STARS research project started with a kick-off in March with the aim of making steel mill slag usable as a raw material for the production of high-quality end products for solar thermal processes over the next three years. The project partners German Aerospace Center (DLR) (lead), thyssenkrupp MillServices & Systems GmbH and LWK-PlasmaCeramic GmbH are researching sustainable solutions for a green circular economy. Fraunhofer UMSICHT is evaluating the new products and processes to be developed from an ecological perspective. The project is funded by the EU and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Dr. Kevinjeorjios Pellumbi was awarded the doctoral prize of the Chemistry & Energy division of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) for his dissertation “Creating Holistic Pathways for the CO2 Electroreduction and Electrochemical Hydrogenations”. The award ceremony took place yesterday in Duisburg – albeit in the absence of the research scientist from the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT. Ulf-Peter Apfel (Head of the Electrosynthesis Department) accepted the award on his behalf.

On March 12 and 13, everything revolved around new solutions, ideas and developments for the realization of a circular economy: The Circular Valley Convention 2025 took place for the first time in Düsseldorf and brought together numerous interested parties from industry, research, politics and society. Messe Düsseldorf organized the event in collaboration with the Circular Valley Foundation and with scientific support from Fraunhofer UMSICHT, the lead institute of the Fraunhofer Cluster CCPE.

Carbon2Chem®, a collaborative project coordinated by thyssenkrupp in close cooperation with the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion (MPI CEC) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, is now entering its third phase.

Prof. Eckhard Weidner was honored with the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his outstanding achievements in research, teaching and honorary office on February 28, 2025. The Fraunhofer UMSICHT team warmly congratulates its former institute director.

An opportunity for nutrient-recovering agricultural production that has received little attention to date and is indispensable for Germany on the way to a genuine bioeconomy. The SUSKULT vision continues to gain in importance. In the second funding phase, the aim is now to further optimize the novel hydroponics-based production system. With the clear aim of laying the foundations for its successful establishment on the market.

Is the storage of chemically bound hydrogen in the form of metal hydrides an economically and safety-wise attractive alternative to storage as a pressurized gas or cryogenic liquid? Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Duisburger Hafen AG and GKN Hydrogen have investigated this question as part of a feasibility study in the HYINPORT project. The focus: the possible integration of a large-scale storage facility into the infrastructure of the Duisburg inland port.

Banks along inland waterways are exposed to shipping and tidal forces. In order to prevent erosion, these are usually technically secured by stone embankments or walls. However, this has a negative impact on the ecosystems. In the joint research project "Bioshoreline" - funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture - the researchers, led by Fraunhofer UMSICHT, developed a biodegradable geotextile made from renewable raw materials that serves as a temporary filter for bank protection on inland waterways.

Fraunhofer UMSICHT is presenting its expertise in the field of fungal materials as a biogenic material source at the BAU trade fair from January 13 to 17, 2025 at the joint booth of the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance (Hall C2, Booth 528). Examples of applications illustrate where materials made from fungal mycelium can be used. Under the motto “FungiFacturingArt”, the scientists are also exhibiting various artistic exhibits made of mycelial material inside an “Innovation Cube”.

If urban districts or industrial areas are to be made climate-neutral, there are many different ways to achieve this goal – from building refurbishment and the efficient use of renewable energies to the transformation of local infrastructures. But which of these paths makes the most economic sense and also guarantees the support of stakeholders? The researchers at Fraunhofer UMSICHT provide support in answering this question: They analyze prerequisites, framework parameters and technological options and develop customer-specific transformation plans on this basis. Sonja Witkowski and Carsten Beier explain what this looks like in practice.