Reference projects

Particle boards are a sustainable and inexpensive construction material for houses and furniture. They can be produced from regionally available wood residues and recycled waste wood. Through this research project, particle boards will become even more sustainable. In collaboration with industrial partners, we are developing particle boards that are produced using a new kind of adhesive which should not contain any health-critical formaldehyde and which consists entirely of biogenic raw materials. Furthermore, we are conducting tests to determine whether the particle boards can be produced using alternative types of wood, which will be increasingly available in the future as a result of forest restructuring.

Aerogels are highly porous, light-as-a-feather materials with extraordinary properties: extremely low thermal conductivity, low sound transmission, and a high adsorption effect on volatile organic compounds. They are excellently suited both for lightweight construction and as filter materials, and are therefore considered a material of the future. In collaboration with research and industrial partners, we are developing a process for the production of aerogels on the basis of waste wood. From the aerogels, we are creating prototypes of insulation materials and pollutant-adsorbing indoor-air filters that can be utilized in buildings and vehicles. Furthermore, transfer possibilities to applications in exhaust-gas cleaning are to be demonstrated. A further project objective: The raw materials required to manufacture the aerogels are to be recovered from the products. With this sustainable material solution, we are supporting health protection as well as the fight against climate change and resource scarcity.

The Corona pandemic has demonstrated the importance of protecting people against infection through airborne pathogens in indoor environments. Air-purification systems can significantly contribute towards this. Currently, however, there is no uniform procedure for testing their effectiveness. We are developing a possible test standard in order to close this gap. In the future, this should facilitate the health evaluation of workplaces with regard to viruses and other airborne pathogens.

In modern industrial societies, people spend the majority of the day inside buildings. The air quality in indoor spaces is therefore a decisive factor for health and well-being. Foreign substances and odors can have a negative influence on the air quality. One ever-present potential source is construction products. Despite the existence of testing and evaluation schemes for construction-product emissions, unpleasant odors can still be generated in real indoor environments, or guideline values can be exceeded. In this project, we are investigating the relationship between construction-product emissions and the air quality in realistic model rooms and are developing simulation models. The results of the project will be incorporated into a practical guide. This should provide planning and architectural offices with recommendations regarding the selection and utilization of building materials.

Furniture and construction elements made from wood and wood-based materials are environmentally friendly and extremely popular. Until now, however, there have been no sustainable flame-retardant solutions for wooden surfaces in indoor areas. In collaboration with our project partners, we are developing transparent and colored flame-retardant coatings with a durable fire-protection effect on the basis of renewable raw materials. In doing so, we are expanding the possibilities for interior construction with wood whilst complying with stricter environmental and fire-protection regulations - for example in schools, theaters and airports or in trade-fair construction.

Wood-based materials such as particle board, OSB, plywood or fiber materials (MDF, HDF) are utilized in large quantities as sustainable building materials in the construction industry and in furniture manufacture. They are also used in vehicle construction and could play a much more significant role in the future. In their production, phenol-formaldehyde resins, amongst other substances, are added as binders (adhesives). These resins are harmful to health and are based on fossil raw materials. In collaboration with a research partner from Argentina, we are developing a bio adhesive that is not hazardous to health. For the production, regionally available production residues can be utilized. As a result, we are creating a sustainable and economically attractive solution for the production of wood-based materials.

Products in electrical engineering, electronics and logistics must fulfil high flame-retardancy requirements. Furthermore, they must be heat resistant and impact resistant. The biomaterials currently available on the market do not satisfy these requirements. In this project, we are developing bioplastics and biocomposites which have the necessary properties and which can be processed by means of injection molding and 3D printing. Products such as light switches, sockets, motion detectors, cable ducts or charging stations for electric vehicles could soon be produced from biomaterials.

The building industry is key to Germany’s economy. Anorganically bound wood-based materials are used for a variety of applications such as dry-walling and timber frame construction, as components for shell constructions and for façade cladding. They can also be found in ceilings, floors, walls, cladding for walls in damp rooms and in constructions intended to protect against fire or noise. Due to Europe’s re-classification of formaldehyde as a class 1B carcinogen (substance is probably carcinogenic to humans), the industry will soon require formaldehyde-free binding agents and additives. In this project, we are currently developing binding agents which use formaldehyde-free resins based on melamine and naphthalene with improved characteristics for construction applications.

Wood releases volatile organic compounds: What is perceptible as a typical wood scent in indoor areas is reflected in measurable values. Building materials are currently only tested individually. In real-life installation situations, however, interactions or secondary reactions can occur. The aim of the project as a whole is the development of a proposal for the procedure for the evaluation of CE-labelled wood-based materials and technically dried cross-laminated timber with regard to the release of substances into the indoor air. The Fraunhofer WKI sub-project focuses on the development of new investigation procedures with regard to ensuring compliance with existing guideline values for the evaluation of the quality of indoor air as well as the secure classification of the wood-based materials with respect to their health compatibility. The results should serve as a foundation for recommendations for action regarding the structural application of wood products.

Due to the current debate concerning possible stricter guidelines for the emission of formaldehyde from wood-based materials, an enhanced potential for isocyanates as cross-linking adhesive components can be seen. The application of isocyanates in wood bonding may not, however, be regarded as trivial. Firstly, their high reactivity must be controlled and their tendency to readily penetrate the wood which is to be bonded must be reduced. The research group Gluing, Bonding and Adhesives from the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research WKI has been intensively focusing on solution approaches for these issues for several years. In this project, we are developing an analytical method which will enable us to follow and evaluate the isocyanate reactivity.