Sustainability

Water and wastewater treatment is one of the central research topics at Fraunhofer UMSICHT. Above all, the topic area of flexibilization of urban material flows with a focus on decentralized wastewater recycling in combination with the cultivation of useful plants makes a contribution to achieving SDG 6. The researchers anticipate a paradigm shift away from centralized wastewater disposal to decentralized wastewater utilization in "Nutrient Recovery Centers". This is because, against the backdrop of resource scarcity, wastewater can no longer be treated as "waste" but must be treated as a compelling source of water, energy and nutrients.

Example projects:

• WHy: Water for the green hydrogen economy
• SUSKULT – das Agrarsystem der Zukunft (German site)
  
• ALTMARKTgarten in Oberhausen (German site)
  
• ROOF WATER-FARM in Berlin

The switch to renewable energy sources from the sun, wind and biomass requires sustainable solutions for society, industry and citizens in order to coordinate energy demand and supply. Efficient energy processes, new storage technologies and intelligent system solutions are required. Fraunhofer UMSICHT develops and optimizes energy plants, develops solutions for the storage of electricity or heat and optimizes energy and energy supply systems. Our competencies lie in the development of novel technologies and their realization in pilot and demonstration plants as well as system analytical studies. The energy supply of the future needs high-performance storage systems that rely on specific economic strategic raw materials. Fraunhofer UMSICHT is therefore working on the use of secondary raw materials for use in vanadium redox flow batteries in addition to the optimization of energy systems. Energy and raw material transformation are linked and the bridge to SDG 12 (Sustainable consumption and production) is established.

Example projects:

• FlowingFuture: Energy storages for learning and teaching
• HyCoFC: Hybrid compound bipolar plates
• Future-iQ: Accelerating the energy transition in the neighborhood
• Municipal heat planning in practice

Fraunhofer UMSICHT develops new concepts for a sustainable development of cities. Thus, we deal with how to create and use cultivation areas for fruits and vegetables in urban areas and how to implement urban design in a participatory way.

Example projects:

• inFARMING^®: Concept for the integration of agriculture in cities and metropolises
  
• SAIN: Städtische Agrikultur: Gemeinsam innovativ entwickeln – Nachhaltige Integration und Vernetzung von Nahrungsmittelkleinproduktion (German site)
  
• ALTMARKTgarten in Oberhausen (German site)
• Ressouceneffiziente Gewerbegebiete (German site)
• c.lab-Kreativlabor Oberhausen: Kreativlabor für Transformation und nachhaltige partizipative Innenstadtentwicklung (German site)
  
• INVITING: Incentivierung emissionsarmer Mobilität in urbanen Gewerbegebieten (German site)

Fraunhofer UMSICHT contributes to this SDG in many ways. We are intensively researching new products and technologies as well as efficiency improvements in the use of materials and energy.

Example projects:

• FutureProteins: Resiliente und nachhaltige Produktion von hochwertigen Lebensmittelproteinen (German site)
• Bau-DNS: Sustainable, modular and circular building refurbishment
• Aerogel insulation material: New manufacturing process
• EKODA: Circular Economy in the automotive industry
• Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE
• iCycle^®: Technology for e-waste recycling
• FungiFacturing: Mushroom based sound insulation

SDG 13 is aimed at implementing climate change mitigation measures, climate change adaptation measures, and measures to increase resilience to climate-related hazards and natural disasters. Improving climate protection requires not only a reduction in CO₂ emissions but also a reduced use of fossil raw materials.

This is where the Carbon2Chem^® joint project comes in: The aim is to tap the waste gases generated during production as a valuable source of raw materials for the chemical industry as part of the defossilization of industry. The project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and involves 17 partners from industry and research, is jointly coordinated by Fraunhofer UMSICHT and two other partners (thyssenkrupp AG, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion). The project is scheduled to run for ten years.

Example projects:

• CO₂-Syn: Utilizing CO₂ emissions from the cement industry as a raw material
• ElkaSyn: Energy-efficient electrosynthesis of alcohols
• KlimaCent

Fraunhofer UMSICHT contributes to this SDG especially with regard to reducing the input of microplastics into the world's oceans. The Microplastics WG of Fraunhofer UMSICHT has been dealing with microplastics and plastic waste in the environment since 2014. In April 2016, a consortium study started with eleven partners from the plastics industry, water management and science. This involved a survey of lay people and experts, which showed that although plastics play an important role in our everyday lives, they nevertheless have no value and are perceived as very disruptive and dangerous when they enter the environment. Other research projects started in 2017 on microplastics in cosmetics, method development to map microplastics in life cycle assessments, and the spread of tire abrasion. In 2018, research projects on filter development for washing machines and on weathering of agricultural films followed. In order to remain in exchange with stakeholders, communicate research results, and develop joint solution strategies, Fraunhofer UMSICHT is involved in the Round Table on Marine Litter of the UBA and participates in various workshops and conferences.

Further information:

• Bioshoreline: Biodegradable geotextiles for bank protection
• Microplastics
• MARELITT Baltic EU Projekt: Recycling von Fischernetzen (German site)
• PlasticBudget: Accounting of plastics in the environment
• LimnoPlast: Europaweites Projekt zu Kunststoffen in Gewässern (German site)
• Runder Tisch Meeresmüll (German site)