Press Releases

In Germany, 55 percent of final energy consumption goes towards heating and cooling. However, a lot of heat dissipates unused because it is not generated as and when required. Thermal storage using zeolite material allows heat to be stored for long periods of time without losing any. Fraunhofer researchers are now working on significantly improving the thermal conductivity of zeolites.

In many countries, farmers and gardeners use mulch films to increase their crop yields. The films are often made of polyethylene and can be used to control weed growth, soil temperature and water consumption. Unfortunately the petroleum-based material is not biodegradable. Consequently, the film residues must be collected at the end of the season with considerable effort or they will pollute the fields. As part of the NewHyPe project, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC are working with European partners to develop sustainable, biodegradable mulch papers with a protective hybrid coating.

Companies today face a variety of increasingly complex risks. Not least the pandemic has shown how crises can pose an existential threat to companies. The FReE tool of the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI, allows companies to measure their resilience and subsequently be prepared for upcoming crisis scenarios.

The EU intends to become climate neutral by 2050 – through the European Green Deal and a tax on carbon emissions. Fraunhofer-research scientists are helping businesses capitalize on net-zero technologies for this. They improve energy efficiency significantly and reduce carbon emissions.

Metal processing with lasers and plasma releases many different pollutants into the ambient air. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS, together with partners, has developed a filter system that efficiently removes these substances from the air. The filter can be adapted to the various materials and substances released in each case. In the future, the technology will be used in other applications, such as additive manufacturing.

At its event as part of the “European Maritime Day (EMD) in My Country” series and the “UN Decade of Ocean Science” on September 23, 2021, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft will present the “Sustainable Sea and Ocean Solutions ISSS” innovation platform together with its European partner organizations. At this virtual event, experts from the worlds of science, business and politics will discuss current issues on the sustainable use of the world's oceans.

Janis Eitner, Director of Communications at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, headquartered in Munich, is leaving at his own request on December 1, 2021 and moving to the global systems partner of the mobility industry, Webasto SE, as Vice President Communications, Marketing & Brand. He succeeds Nadine Schian in this position. Eitner has worked at the headquarters of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft for six years and held various management positions in Communications, most recently reporting directly to the President of Fraunhofer, Prof. Reimund Neugebauer.

As a rapidly growing renewable raw material, bamboo is an ideal substitute for wood. However, bamboo’s susceptibility to mold in damp conditions poses a problem. Researchers at Fraunhofer have now analyzed bamboo’s response to moisture under specific climatic conditions. By using simulation software, building owners can plan and implement measures to prevent the growth of mold.

With a satellite system that measures drought stress in plants, two researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI, have now founded the spin-off ConstellR. Their technology enables the agricultural sector to optimize the irrigation of areas under cultivation to increase crop yields. The first sensor system will be launched into space in early 2022 and be installed on board the International Space Station (ISS).

Conventional processes for manufacturing battery electrodes involve mostly toxic solvents and require a lot of space and energy. This is not the case with DRYtraec® – a new dry-coating process developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS. The technology is environmentally friendly and cost effective and can be used on a large scale, giving it the potential to revolutionize the manufacturing of battery electrodes.