Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT
Compressed carbon dioxide as a process medium
Compressed carbon dioxide (CO2) is a sustainable alternative to conventional solvents. We use CO2 as a versatile process medium. This includes the functionalization of components as well as the decontamination of food. Furthermore, we develop processes in which CO2 is converted into valuable substances such as chemicals.
In the production of functional materials we offer a process for the additive treatment of materials. Plastics can be given an antimicrobial finish or colored with it, for example. The technology can be transferred to other materials such as leather, wood and stone. We have developed the decontamination of food using almonds as an example. Our fields of research on the material use of CO2 include, for example, the mineralization of slags and electrochemical CO2 conversion.
Unique: scale-up from the laboratory to technical scale
Our technical equipment, which we offer in the field of "Carbon dioxide as a process medium" is unique. It ranges from the small plant with a volume of 63 ml up to the SPS-controlled plant on a technical scale with a volume of 1700 l. A scale-up of the developed processes is part of our range of services and can be realized directly at our Oberhausen site.
We have developed a completely new process for environmentally friendly leather tanning (Cleantan®) up to pre-industrial scale, for which we have received several awards – most recently the Innovation Award of the European Association for Research and Technology Organisations EARTO in 2017.
Together with our industrial partner Cerabran, we also succeeded in developing a unique, energy-efficient and cost-effective manufacturing process for aerogels based on our expertise in CO2 process engineering. These highly porous solids can be used, among other things, as high-performance insulating materials in the construction industry or in the field of lightweight construction materials, and also have a wide range of potential applications beyond this. We are currently working on the scale-up of the process with the aim of realising an annual production of 5000 t/a.
Take advantage of our know-how: Let's talk about process scale-ups together.
Your way to cooperation with us
Cooperation in the scientific field is based on publicly funded research projects. We will be happy to advise you on this. In the field of industrial research we work for you on a direct contract basis. Contact persons are Michael Prokein and Nils Mölders.
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