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  • The photo shows a latticed flax fabric lying on a table.
    © Fraunhofer WKI

    Textile-reinforced concrete components with a sustainable natural-fiber reinforcement possess sufficient bond and tensile load-bearing behavior for the utilization in construction. This has been verified by researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI in collaboration with Biberach University of Applied Sciences and the industrial partner FABRINO. In the future, textile-reinforced components with natural-fiber reinforcement could therefore replace conventionally reinforced concrete components and improve the environmental balance in the construction industry.

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  • The photo shows an approximately palm-sized, frame-like object made from white bioplastic that is used for the insulated feed-through of cables and busbars.
    © Fraunhofer WKI | Manuela Lingnau

    Researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI and the Fraunhofer IAP, in collaboration with industrial partners, have achieved initial success in the development of bio-based flame retardants in bioplastics. In the future, it could therefore be possible to utilize plastics in electronics and electrical engineering that consist of 100 percent bio-based materials. Within the framework of the research project, processing was tested by means of compounding, injection molding and additive manufacturing.

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  • The Fraunhofer WKI will show four-meter-long sections of a wooden crash-barrier for road construction at the International Green Week, which takes place in Berlin from January 20 to 29. The sustainable crash-barrier is intended to be compatible with existing systems, just as durable and financially competitive. It is currently being developed in a research project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) through the project management agency Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e. V. (FNR).

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  • Fraunhofer presents bioeconomy roadmap

    Press note / December 02, 2022

    The computer graphic shows a product cycle with the pictorially represented stations raw materials, production, trade, recycling.
    © Thomas Kuhlenbeck

    Renewable raw resources and bio-based processes can provide a decisive contribution towards the replacement of fossil materials. This is the conclusion of a roadmap presented by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft to politicians and the public in Berlin on 2nd December 2022.

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  • The photo shows a cuboid laboratory instrument, around 90 cm high, on rollers. On its sides, it has a display and various connections for tubes. Sitting on the closed top surface of the device is a laptop.
    © Fraunhofer WKI | Manuela Lingnau

    What reactions take place in indoor areas and what reaction products are thereby formed? In which ways are humans exposed to air pollutants in the indoor environment? Scientists at the Fraunhofer WKI investigate complex chemical processes in indoor air and conduct research into human exposure to airborne compounds in relation to environmental influences, building and furnishing products, clothing and body-care products as well as personal consumption habits. With the newly acquired “Proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer” (PTR-TOF-MS), the researchers are now able to perform measurements with even greater precision and higher temporal resolution.

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  • The photo shows a three-story modern office building with a facade of clinker and wood.
    © Fraunhofer WKI

    With the new office building in Hanover, the Fraunhofer WKI “Application Center HOFZET®” and the Hochschule Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts’ “IfBB - Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites” are closing ranks even more densely. The cooperation between the two institutions will be continued and intensified as a result of the move in November 2022.

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  • The photo shows a researcher holding a triangular floating island made from mycelium material, in which plants are growing. At the corners, connecting elements made from wood can be seen.
    © Design studio “morgen.” | Maischa Souaga

    First place in the 2022 Fraunhofer Communication Award goes to “Grünes Wasser” (Green Water), a project that has brought new life to the “Fleete” (canals) of Hamburg’s city center, with the participation of the general public. Once filled with boats, sailors and goods from all over the world, the waterways are now largely unused and devoid of vegetation. Christoph Pöhler from the Fraunhofer WKI and Beate Kapfenberger and Martha Starke from the design studio “morgen.” have developed floating islands which are made from a lightweight material that consists entirely of renewable raw materials and upon which plants can be grown. During a participatory action in June 2022, which was accompanied by cross-media, the islands were endowed with their plants and then launched into the water.

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  • The image shows, clockwise from top left: hemp fibers, insulation mats, square timber, and an interior room constructed from wood. In the center is a graphic representation of a house.
    © Fraunhofer WKI | Manuela Lingnau

    Researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI, in collaboration with three universities, have developed two lecture modules on the utilization of renewable raw materials in the construction industry. The modules cover renewable raw materials from their extraction through to their utilization in the construction industry. This future-oriented qualification of young technical and scientific talent increases the chances for the subsequent utilization of renewable raw materials in the construction industry.

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  • The photo shows a chair, which has a circular, upholstered seat and a metal frame.
    © Fraunhofer WKI

    In collaboration with designer Jonathan Radetz, researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI have developed a lightweight item of seating furniture whose seat shell and upholstery are produced in one single step from a material known as organic sheet. The project team investigated whether used textiles can be utilized in order to manufacture an item of seating furniture in accordance with both aesthetic and sustainable criteria. The manufacturing principle can be transferred to other areas of application, such as the interior outfitting of cars.

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  • The photo shows a group of three people, with a crowd in the background.
    © Patrick Lux

    On the 12th of October 2022, the Wood-based Panel Symposium in Hamburg kicked off with an evening event. The Fraunhofer WKI and the European Panel Federation (EPF) are organising the networking event for the 12th time in cooperation with the International Association for Technical Wood Issues (iVTH). From the 12th to 14th of October 2022, the Wood-Based Panel Symposium offers the approximately 320 participants the opportunity for an exchange on the most important trends and challenges in the wood-based panel industry.

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