Reference projects

How can particularly sustainable thermal insulation materials be produced for buildings? With fungi! In collaboration with the Braunschweig-based start-up “YcoLabs”, we are using the organic growth of fungal mycelium as a natural binder in order to process plant residues such as hemp hurds, wood shavings or elephant-grass fibers into insulation materials. One particular advantage: The insulation materials can be allowed to grow into virtually any shape and size. This makes them very versatile. In order to demonstrate the performance capabilities of the fungal insulation materials, we are producing prototypes for an application example and testing them in a real operational environment. In subsequent pilot projects with the construction industry, we aim to further develop the insulation materials into a variety of marketable products. In this way, we are providing a contribution towards an increase in the proportion of renewable raw materials in buildings and, consequently, towards achieving climate- and environmental-protection targets.

Heat, drought, storms, bark beetles: In the Harz National Park, climate change is leading to widespread forest damage. Reforestation will take decades. This has a significant impact on the timber and forestry industry, tourism and, consequently, the well-being of the regional population. In collaboration with research and regional partners, we are developing various scenarios for reforestation and are predicting their ecosystem services as well as their socio-economic effects above and beyond this. One approach involves replacing the dead spruce stands with more climate-resistant deciduous tree species. At the Fraunhofer WKI, we are investigating the achievable wood quality and yield as well as the suitability of the wood for the production of wood-based materials.

With this project, we would like to demonstrate how agroforestry systems with fast-growing poplars can enable sustainable agriculture whilst simultaneously strengthening the wood industry. In collaboration with research and practice partners, we are establishing model regions in Northern Germany and developing innovative value chains for poplar wood – in particular for material use. The focus of the Fraunhofer WKI thereby lies on the development of wood-based materials and hybrid material composites. Through the optimization of poplar cultivation, suitable wood qualities and assortments are to be achieved. In order to facilitate the entry of agricultural and wood-utilizing companies into the agroforestry value chains and to ensure the purchase of wood at stable conditions, cooperation models are being developed and networks established within the project.

The wood constituent lignin accrues in large quantities as a by-product of pulp and paper production. In collaboration with industrial partners, we are developing a high-performance bio-foam from lignin. In order to demonstrate its market potential, the lignin foam is being processed into molded parts for the automotive industry within the scope of the project. These parts are to be utilized as the core in car bumpers. Petrochemical foam materials could also be replaced by climate-friendly lignin foams in numerous other applications - for example in packaging, insulation materials or as a core material in wind-turbine rotor blades.

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.

Around 8 to 10 million metric tonnes of waste wood accrue in Germany every year. A good 80 percent of this is used directly for energy, i.e. incinerated. In order to make more efficient use of wood as a resource, it is necessary for significantly more waste wood to be materially re-used (material recycling). One obstacle is the fact that up to now, considerable effort has been required in order to determine possible contamination. A significant simplification is being developed within a project led by the University of Greifswald in collaboration with the Fraunhofer WKI and industrial companies: the optimization of “X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF)” for the sample type waste wood. The new analysis method should be quick and easy to use for all parties involved in the waste-wood value chain – for example recycling companies, wood-based material manufacturers and authorities.

Heating systems must be insulated in accordance with the German law on building-energy efficiency. For system components such as pump groups, valves or fittings, prefabricated insulation boxes made from polymer foams are available. These can be easily installed and subsequently removed. However, as they are of normal or low flammability, they cannot be fitted everywhere. Insulation using non-combustible materials has been laborious up until now. In collaboration with industry partners, we are developing a practicable solution: insulation boxes made from non-combustible foam that can be overhauled and recycled. Heating systems in building areas with increased fire-protection requirements could, as a result, be installed, maintained and modified more quickly.

Protecting moorlands, avoiding greenhouse-gas emissions and, at the same time, extracting valuable raw materials for house construction and horticulture: That is the aim of this model and demonstration project, which is being implemented in two model regions in the districts of Emsland and Cuxhaven by a total of 13 partners from research and industry. The task of the Fraunhofer WKI is to thereby develop, manufacture and test construction products on the basis of cattails in close collaboration with the Fraunhofer IBP.

Organic sheets made from fiber-reinforced plastic can be formed using processes similar to those applied in steel- or aluminum-sheet processing. Until now, primarily glass fibers – as well as carbon or aramid fibers and petrochemical plastics – have been utilized for production. In collaboration with the Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (IfBB) at Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts, we are developing a sustainable and competitive alternative: bio organic sheets made from natural fibers and bioplastics with improved material properties and a high level of recyclability. Diverse products could thereby become more sustainable - including vehicles, housings, cladding and sports equipment. Thanks to the good availability of inexpensive raw materials, bio organic sheets also have strong market potential.

In the manufacture of precast concrete components, formwork items made from wood and polystyrene are utilized. After being used several times, they are disposed of, which incurs costs. As a result of coatings and concrete residues, the formwork boards can currently only be thermally recycled (incineration). In collaboration with industrial partners, we are developing a solution for the material recycling: We would like to produce wood foam from the formwork boards which, in turn, can be used for the concrete formwork - as a replacement for recess formers made from polystyrene. This would allow precast concrete components to be produced more efficiently and large amounts of fossil raw materials to be conserved. Furthermore, other sustainable products could be manufactured with the wood foam, including insulation materials, packaging, wind-turbine rotor blades, and sandwich elements for buildings, vehicles, furniture or sports equipment.