Press releases

Creating an overall concept for efficient energy use and supply of Duisburg's inland port – this is the objective of the "enerPort" project. The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology UMSICHT and Duisburger Hafen AG have reached an important milestone on the way to achieving this goal: One year after the start of the project they have conducted a metastudy. It is intended to ensure the transferability of the concept to other ports. The focus is on the categorization and typologization of inland ports.

There is movement in the fuel market for ocean-going vessels. Targets to reduce ex-haust emissions require new sustainable ways of producing diesel and heavy fuel oil. What could these paths look like? What are the new raw materials? Researchers at Fraunhofer UMSICHT succeeded in mapping the entire process chain for the production of bio-based blending components as part of the PyroMar project. Testing is starting right now.

The energy system is changing. Variable energy production, decarbonization, decentralization and cross-sectoral approaches call for innovative storage systems to balance demand and production. In order to develop such energy storage systems, models for operational or structural optimization and for the evaluation of storage systems are needed. The problem: There are still no uniform, scientifically validated open source models for electrical and thermal energy storage systems that can be used to solve technical, economic and regulatory problems. An international research team led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology UMSICHT wants to change this.

Provide a platform for the interdisciplinary exchange in the field of electrochemical cells – with this objective Jan Girschik started planning the first "E3C – Electrochemical Cell Concepts Colloquium". The scientist from the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology UMSICHT has definitely achieved this goal: over 130 researchers from 13 countries – including Canada, the USA, Uruguay, India, Greece, Great Britain and seven other European nations – took part in the online event on May 14 2020. Their presentations and discussions revolved around commonalities and potential combinations of cell concepts and fluid flow systems for flow batteries, fuel cells, electrolysis, electrosynthesis and electrodialysis cells.

Bacteria like to romp around on plastic components such as light switches, in water pipes or even on medical equipment. This is remedied by germicidal materials such as copper, which is worked into the plastics, or special antibacterial coatings. Fraunhofer UMSICHT has developed new ways to reduce the growth of bacteria on surfaces: This is done either by impregnating antimicrobial agents into layers of polymers near the surface or by preventing the formation of a biofilm by preventing communication between the bacteria. The processes are continuously being developed and tested in application - for the consumer sector, medical technology, technical applications and the food industry.

The energy transition is a supporting pillar of structural change and requires a rethinking in many areas. In order to ensure that successful economic ecosystems can grow in an increasingly dynamic and volatile environment, coordinated, adaptable solutions are needed at the interface of the energy and materials industries. This is precisely where the Performance Center DYNAFLEX® takes part and develops sustainable solutions with the direction of Fraunhofer UMSICHT. A pilot site is currently being built in Bad Langensalza, which will serve as a pioneer for cross-industrial networks and open up new value chains.

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.