Press releases, interviews and news

Plastics are essential for the electrical industry – they insulate and protect and must therefore be heat-resistant, flame-retardant, and mechanically robust, for example. Currently, fossil-based plastics such as polyamides or polycarbonates are predominantly used for this purpose, and there is a lack of bio-based alternatives. In the recently launched two-year joint research project "HighTechPLA," Fraunhofer UMSICHT works with partners* to develop a bio-based high-performance compound based on polylactic acid (PLA).

Fraunhofer UMSICHT analyzed the environmental impact of sewer pipe rehabilitation for the companies RelineEurope GmbH and Impreg GmbH. The institute used life cycle assessment to compare the rehabilitation of sewer pipes using the liner method (CIPP: cure-in-place pipe) with the replacement of pipes with new concrete pipes.

The UMSICHT Research School is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Since its founding, it has supported doctoral students on their path to a doctorate and provided opportunities for exchange, structure, and support. The numbers show that the concept is working: around 90 doctoral students have already successfully completed the program. In this interview, initiator Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anna Grevé talks about how it all began – and what makes the UMSICHT Research School what it is today.

The electrification of industrial processes is a key lever for greater efficiency, flexibility and climate friendliness in production. At E-world 2026, the Fraunhofer institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT will demonstrate how, for example, the direct use of green electricity in the production of basic materials and specialty chemicals opens up enormous efficiency potential and can make a decisive contribution to achieving climate targets.

The "biovolatil" research project has been launched. A team of researchers and industry experts aims to strengthen municipal energy systems through self-sufficient, climate-neutral energy generation and storage. The new concept focuses on demand-oriented biomass gasification with combined heat and power plants and geothermal systems.

The 8th Conference on Sustainable Chemical Conversion in Industry took place on November 19 in Düsseldorf and virtually as part of the Carbon2Chem^® joint project. Around 170 participants from the academic and business communities, as well as from the political and association sectors, came together to discuss the progress of the project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, and the next steps on the path to climate-neutral industry. The focus was on carbon capture and utilization (CCU).

The potential of light- and plasma-induced catalysis for sustainability, energy efficiency, competitiveness, and economic sovereignty is enormous: The technology promises breakthroughs for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries as well as the recycling and energy sector. This is the conclusion reached by Fraunhofer researchers from the "Light & Surfaces," "Materials," and "Resource Technologies and Bioeconomy" networks, including UMSICHT research scientist Dr. Tim Nitsche. Their findings can be read in the position paper "Light- and Plasma-Induced Catalysis."

For 25 years, the Interdisciplinary Distance Studies in Environmental Sciences (infernum) – offered by the FernUniversität in Hagen in scientific cooperation with Fraunhofer UMSICHT – has stood for successful education for sustainable development. Anja Gerstenmeier, head of the UMSICHT Academy department and the infernum office at Fraunhofer UMSICHT, takes this anniversary as an opportunity to take a trip down memory lane in interview form: from the beginnings with 43 students and traditional study letters to the needs-oriented blended learning concept, which currently enables over 500 students to obtain a qualification in environmental sciences and sustainability.

The aim of the Carbon2Chem^® subproject "Methanol" is to optimize innovative processes for synthesizing methanol from industrial carbon-containing gas streams. The focus is on the work packages "Raw Gases & Utilization Options", "Gas Separation & Purification", "Methanol Synthesis" and "Methanol Downstream". We asked Matthias Kammel how these findings will be combined to create a comprehensive synthesis strategy that can be implemented in practice. He is the head of both the subproject and the thyssenkrupp Carbon2Chem innovation hub.

Every year, each person in Germany produces around 600 kilograms of waste. Can this amount be reduced by sharing and reusing tools, appliances, or leisure equipment? This question is the focus of the research project "Investigation, development, and evaluation of structures and centers for sharing at the municipal level." The partners – the city of Essen, Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts, and the Fraunhofer institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT – met in Oberhausen for the kick-off.