Press releases, interviews and news

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.

The project “HyCoFC – Long-term Stable Fuel Cell Technology through Innovative Hybrid-Compound Bipolar Plates” aims to develop a hybrid-compound bipolar plate that consists of a carrier foil made of low-alloy steel and a conductive compound foil.

How can municipal utilities align their portfolio with both the goals of the energy transition and the development of the energy industry environment? The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT and Stadtwerke Düsseldorf addressed this question in the "SW.Developer" project. The results: A collection of fact sheets for technologies, energy supply concepts and subsidies, an evaluation tool for local, integrated supply solutions and an online event format.

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.

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.