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Autumn is here and with the strengthening winds, the yields generated by wind energy are also increasing. This environmentally-friendly and renewable form of energy generation creates jobs in Germany and promotes technological innovation. Wind energy reduces the dependence on fossil fuels and global supply chains. Researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI are developing solutions that facilitate the inspection of rotor blades. Completely new recycling processes – which are being developed at the Fraunhofer WKI – pursue the goal of achieving the best-possible material recycling. The work of the scientists contributes towards ensuring that, from the outset, wind turbines can be designed to be easier to recycle and can be manufactured from renewable raw materials. As a result, the key technology of the energy transition is becoming both more recyclable and more resource-efficient.

The architecture and chemistry of the bark of the Canary pine effectively protect the trees from forest fires. Taking nature as a model, researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI, in collaboration with partners, have developed bio-based coatings for wooden components for interior and exterior use. The fire-retardant coatings utilizing functionalized microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) are weather-resistant and expand the application possibilities for wood in building construction. The researchers have succeeded in developing a new approach in the production of durable, flame-retardant construction products based on renewable raw materials.

Prof. Lidia Morawska from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Prof. Yuguo Li from the University of Hong Kong and Prof. Tunga Salthammer from the Fraunhofer WKI in Braunschweig address this question in the journal SCIENCE.

Within the framework of his summer tour, Lower Saxony’s Minister for Science and Culture, Falko Mohrs, visited the Fraunhofer institutes for Wood Research, Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut WKI and for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST in Braunschweig on the 8^th of July 2024.

The Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST) is committed to the future of wood research by, among other things, honouring the "Women Ambassadors Creating the Future of Wood Science". For 2024, Dr Juan Li, research associate at the Fraunhofer WKI, was accepted as one of the women in the "Women Ambassadors Creating the Future of Wood Science". The new ambassadors will be presented at the annual SWST International Convention in Portoroz, Slovenia, from 30 June to 5 July 2024. Dr Juan Li will be included in the travelling exhibition sponsored by SWST, which will pay tribute to the ambassadors over time.

From the 9^th to the 11^th of October 2024, the Fraunhofer WKI and the European Panel Federation (EPF) in cooperation with the International Association for Technical Issues Related to Wood (iVTH) and the company Hywax GmbH will be hosting the 13th European Wood-based Panel Symposium at the Grand Elysée Hotel in Hamburg. The presentation program has now been finalized.

How can finite resources be conserved and dependency on fossil resources reduced? Renewable raw materials are one answer. Researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI are developing new materials and components made from such materials as wood, flax and hemp fibers and fungal mycelium. Together with the Verband Dämmstoffe aus nachwachsenden Rohstoffen e.V. (association for insulation materials made from renewable raw resources, vdnr), the Fraunhofer WKI has been selected to present its expertise in the field of insulation materials at the “Woche der Umwelt” (Week of the Environment) in Berlin on the 4^th and 5^th of June 2024. The expertise ranges from raw-material extraction, through insulation production and its application in the construction industry, and on to recycling and the utilization of recycled raw materials for second-use products. Scientists will be presenting insulation materials made from plant-based raw resources for applications in the construction sector.

On the occasion of his retirement from the Board of Trustees of the Fraunhofer WKI and from the International Association for Technical Issues Related to Wood (iVTH), Dipl.-Ing. Hubertus Flötotto was honored with the Wilhelm Klauditz Medal. The Wilhelm Klauditz Medal, donated by the iVTH, is awarded to outstanding personalities who have made a special contribution to wood research.

Lightweight construction is considered a key technology of the future. It provides an important contribution towards increasing competitiveness and achieving climate and sustainability goals. Lightweight materials, components and products require less transportation energy and often also smaller amounts of raw resources. Lightweight products made from renewable raw materials can be particularly sustainable. Even renewable raw materials will, however, become scarce if they are used to create an ever-increasing number of products and the world’s population continues to grow. Researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI are developing resource-efficient lightweight-construction solutions using renewable raw materials: from the development of alternative raw materials from climate-adapted ecosystems and plant residues, through material and process development, component design and quality control, and on to cascade utilization and recycling.

In collaboration with industrial partners, researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI have developed a vehicle underbody made from natural fibers and recycled plastics for automotive construction. The component fulfills the stringent technical requirements in the underbody area and could replace conventional lightweight vehicle underbodies in the future. With this development, the climate and environmental balance is optimized throughout the entire product life cycle. The focus at the Fraunhofer WKI was directed at the development of the materials for injection molding as well as the hydrophobization of flax and hemp fibers for natural-fiber-reinforced mixed-fiber non-wovens.