RSS feed: Press releases

On the 27^th of October 2023, the Minister of Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, presented the participating project partners with the funding notification from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) for the research project “Nachhaltige Erzeugung und Verwertung von Rohrkolben auf Niedermoorstandorten in Niedersachsen“ (Sustainable production and utilization of cattails on fenland sites in Lower Saxony, “RoNNi”).

In collaboration with Schwan Cosmetics International and Worlée-Chemie, the Fraunhofer WKI has developed high-quality bio-based film-formers on the basis of lignin for use in cosmetic products. The foundation has therefore been laid for high-quality and sustainable makeup products whose quality is in no way inferior to that of conventional products.

The wood foam developed and patented by the Fraunhofer WKI will, in future, be produced and distributed by Butterweck Holzstoffe GmbH & Co. KG. The marketing of the wood foams is planned under the brand name LIGNEW. Construction work for a production plant in Northern Germany will commence shortly. Delivery of the first wood-foam panels is expected to take place in 2026. The researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI will continue to provide Butterweck Holzstoffe GmbH & Co. KG with support in an advisory capacity.

On September 29, 2023, the University of Primorska and its partners celebrated an important milestone: the successful completion of the project phase of the largest European research and innovation project in Slovenia. Representatives of the European Commission attended the event, where the main project results and future plans of the InnoRenew Center of Excellence (CoE) were presented. The Fraunhofer WKI had accompanied the founding phase of the center as a mentor.

Fraunhofer researchers are highlighting the scientific and technological potential of the bioeconomy in their roadmap “Circular bioeconomy for Germany”. Included are recommended actions to be taken at a political level. The roadmap was presented in Brussels on September 20, 2023. The Fraunhofer WKI contributed to the roadmap.

The Fraunhofer WKI, in collaboration with the University of Stuttgart, the Laser Zentrum Hannover and industrial partners, has produced a column made from natural-fiber-reinforced bioplastic by means of 3D printing. The column is currently on display at the Biennale in Venice. With the column, the researchers are demonstrating that 3D-printed materials are also suitable for large components in architecture.

In collaboration with the companies Leichtwerk AG and Jowat SE, the Fraunhofer WKI has developed a sustainable multicopter. Thanks to an efficient, bio-based structural design and modular construction, the new aerial vehicle is significantly more sustainable than comparable conventional systems. In order to achieve this, the Fraunhofer WKI has developed functional materials, manufacturing processes for molded parts, and suitable coatings.

Switchable adhesives are suitable for the adhesion of cement-bonded wood-based panels. This has been verified by researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI in collaboration with industrial partners. With the aid of – amongst other things – block shear tests, the project team showed that the minimum requirements are fulfilled through the use of the newly developed adhesives.

On 1st July 2023, the researchers from the Fraunhofer WKI Application Center HOFZET^® will be able to look back upon 10 years of research activities in the fields of sustainability, materials development and component development as well as circular economy and recycling.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI, in collaboration with their partner Protohaus gGmbH, have constructed a stage set for the Braunschweig State Theater using an innovative forward-looking material. The surface of the mountain landscape in the play “Funken” was created with the help of fungal mycelium. The ecological and recyclable building material consists of elephant-grass fibers, which are grown through with mycelium. The stage set creatively illustrates the potential of building with fungal mycelium for the general public. The lampshades that can be seen on stage have also been produced using mycelium that has been hot-pressed in an innovative process.

During LIGNA 2023, researchers from the Fraunhofer WKI will be presenting possibilities for utilizing renewable raw materials – such as balsa wood, hardwood or natural fibers – in future-oriented applications. The application possibilities will be demonstrated by means of a laminated-material bridge and an eco stand-up paddleboard.

By means of a wood-based panel for interior construction, researchers from the Fraunhofer WKI will be demonstrating the application possibilities for a newly developed, formaldehyde-free bio-adhesive at LIGNA 2023. Compared to the phenol-formaldehyde resins often used until now, the new lignin-HMF resin is harmless to health and free from petrochemical raw materials. The researchers are presenting a 100 percent bio-based condensation resin for the wood-based materials industry that can be manufactured and processed using conventional process and equipment technology.

By means of a wall made from a multi-layer composite material as well as a ceiling beam, researchers from the Fraunhofer WKI will be demonstrating utilization possibilities for pine wood at LIGNA 2023. The demonstrators are the result of two current research projects at the Fraunhofer WKI. The “wood of the future” pine is one of the most important tree species in Northern Germany in terms of area covered and copes relatively well with climate change. As pine wood will be available in greater quantities in the future, the researchers are working on the development of application fields with high revenue potential for the construction and automotive industries.

In a current research project, researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI are determining how beech wood, which will be increasingly available in the future, can be used as wood-fiber insulation material in the form of mats or foams. At LIGNA 2023, the researchers will present one possibility: a thermal-insulation wall made from hollow bricks filled with insulation mats composed of beech-wood fibers. The brick wall is part of the “Multi-material model Wall I Ceiling I Roof”. Industrial partners will test the insulating materials developed at the Fraunhofer WKI to ensure their practical suitability. The project team is working on an economically attractive solution for the production of wood-fiber insulation materials from beech wood for the construction industry.

With the ceiling-system module for the modernization of suspended ceilings in buildings, researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI are demonstrating at LIGNA 2023 an ecological possibility for the renovation of old buildings. With the prefabricated small panels in modular construction, renovations will be easier and faster to carry out in the future.

With the highlight “Multi-material model Wall I Ceiling I Roof”, the researchers from the Fraunhofer WKI are presenting no less than eight innovations for the construction industry. At LIGNA 2023, they will furthermore be demonstrating additional possibilities for incorporating renewable raw materials into future-oriented applications.

The “Application Center HOFZET^®” of the Fraunhofer WKI and the “IfBB - Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites” of the Hochschule Hannover - University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HsH) are moving even closer together. A new office building at the Ahlem campus was officially inaugurated on April 24, 2023. Together with the jointly operated pilot plant for bioplastics and composites, it provides an excellent infrastructure for further innovative research.

At the Hannover Messe from April 17 to 21, the Fraunhofer WKI is exhibiting a sustainable crash-barrier system made from highly stress-resistant wood-composite elements as well as efficient and resource-saving building products from construction waste and plant residues.

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.

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.

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).