Press releases, interviews and news

Circular economy = recycling waste? Not only! Dr.-Ing. Stephan Kabasci and Dr.-Ing. Jochen Nühlen make it clear in an interview that there is much more to circular economy than recycling. The scientists also talk about the challenges on the road to the circular economy and explain how Fraunhofer UMSICHT can help overcome these hurdles – whether by developing technologies and materials or providing advice on the circular transformation.

Recycling is resource conservation. This is confirmed by the study published today by Fraunhofer UMSICHT on behalf of Interzero. The circular economy service provider Interzero avoided a total of 1.2 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 by recycling around 2.5 million tons of recyclable materials. At the same time, Interzero was able to save over 11.1 million tons of primary resources together with its customers. For the transformation to a circular economy to succeed, new cycles must also be established for material groups that were previously neglected.

Ammonia plays an important role as a transport and storage medium in the hydrogen economy. Promising solutions for its use as an energy vector are currently being developed in the Fraunhofer flagship project AmmonVektor. But how great is the potential? And where are the limits? The workshop "Ammonia – THE supply chain for the hydrogen economy?", on October 30 in Oberhausen, will provide an overview of the latest technologies and developments and provide impetus for the energy transition.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Renner, Head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, received the Innovation Award of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia 2024 in the "innovation" category for a novel production process for aerogels that is suitable for the mass market. On September 30, 2024, Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy and Deputy Prime Minister of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, presented Prof. Renner with the award at KOMED in Cologne. The innovation prize in this category is endowed with 100,000 euros.

On behalf of the FBS (Federal Association of Concrete Sewer Systems), Fraunhofer UMSICHT prepared a life cycle assessment of the environmental impact of wastewater pipes made of (steel) concrete. This also functions as an association environmental product declaration (EPD-Environmental Product Declaration) and is publicly accessible via the ÖKOBAUDAT database. In addition, Fraunhofer UMSICHT compared the environmental impacts from the extraction of raw materials to the recycling of drainage systems made of (steel) concrete with pipelines made of plastic.

It is one of the most significant milestones in the more than 300-year history of the Port of Duisburg: Yesterday, Monday, the Duisburg Gateway Terminal (DGT) was officially opened on the former coal island. At 12:00 pm, North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst, Duisburg's Lord Mayor Sören Link, representatives of the four DGT shareholders duisport, HTS, Hupac and PSA as well as Fraunhofer UMSICHT pressed the symbolic start button in the presence of around 250 invited guests. The first construction phase has been completed and the DGT is now officially operational. Its climate-neutral operation is being trialed in the enerPort II research project.

How can the chemical industry successfully transform itself into a sustainable industry? One answer is: by using hydrogen. Work is being done on appropriate solutions in the project “H2-Reallabor Burghausen – ChemDelta Bavaria”. Since July 2024, Fraunhofer UMSICHT has been supporting the subproject “CO₂ Direct Electrolysis to Green Ethylene (CODE)”, which is based there. Specifically, the scientists are developing a novel reactor for the efficient conversion of carbon dioxide to ethylene.

Choosing the place and time of work depending on the respective task, personal situation and (of course) the legal and collective bargaining regulations – this has been possible at Fraunhofer UMSICHT since 2020 under the keyword "Flex Work". The corresponding company agreement has now been updated. In this interview, Medi van Rheinberg and Jana Rolshoven from our HR department reveal what has changed for employees and what experiences the institute has had with flexible working so far.

Obst- und Gemüse-Absatzgenossenschaft Nordbaden eG and Obstgroßmarkt Mittelbaden eG have commissioned Fraunhofer UMSICHT with the further development of a new cultivation method. The "inBerry" project, which has now been launched, focuses on a data-driven and year-round production method for indoor cultivation that is made even more efficient by the integration of innovative sensors. In collaboration with the technology provider vGreens Holding GmbH, a new production method for the sustainable vertical cultivation of special crops such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries can be created.

The energy transition is perceived positively by the majority of the population as a task for society as a whole. At the same time, there are challenges and potential for conflict within this transformation process. Some conflicts are directly visible, others are more latent but no less important for the success of the energy transition. When planning hydrogen hubs, for example, the conflicts over the use of water as a resource have not yet been recognized as a systemic challenge - and have therefore not been adequately addressed.