Press Releases and News

Microorganisms and microalgae can be used to recover valuable metals from electronic waste – in an environmentally friendly, selective manner with potential for industrial application. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB demonstrated this in a study. At IFAT 2026, the leading trade fair for environmental technologies in Munich, IGB will demonstrate how this biological recycling works using a fixed-bed reactor.

The prices of mineral fertilizers are rising. The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB is working on alternative production methods: Researchers have developed various processes and demonstrated them on a pilot scale to recover nutrients from locally available waste streams. Fertilizers ready for immediate use can be obtained from digestion residues, manure, and wastewater, as the institute will show at IFAT in Munich in early May. This circular approach strengthens supply security and protects water bodies and the climate.

Overfertilization in agriculture weakens crops, endangers drinking water quality and harms the soil. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB are now developing an alternative fertilizer that is fully biodegradable and only supplies plants with the nutrients they actually need, thus preventing overfertilization.

The processing of crustaceans from the fishing industry, the production of insect protein, and mushroom cultivation generate large quantities of chitin-containing waste. The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB has established a process chain for chitin processing to create added value from these waste streams. These technologies enable the production of high-purity chitosan, which can be used, among other things, for sustainable coatings. Transparent films made from chitosan are suitable for use as biodegradable single-use packaging and could replace petroleum-based plastics.

On January 1, 2026, Professor Petra Kluger took over as executive director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB. At the same time, the previous executive director, Dr. Markus Wolperdinger, took a sabbatical for research.

Microbial biosurfactants are an alternative to chemically synthesized surfactants in dishwashing detergents, household cleaners, and shower gels. After many years of intensive research and development, the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB now provides samples of high-purity glycolipid biosurfactants – versatile, biodegradable and produced from local renewable raw and residual materials. The optimization of biosurfactants was also investigated as part of the “Alliance Biosurfactants” project. The strategic alliance of partners from research and industry will present its results at a final conference on February 4, 2026, in Stuttgart.

A method developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB enables bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic pathogens in sepsis patients to be identified much faster than before and with the highest precision. The approach is based on high-throughput sequencing of cell-free DNA circulating in the blood and was honored with the EARTO Innovation Award in the "Impact Delivered" category on October 14, 2025, in Brussels. The diagnostic kit is already approved for the indication of sepsis and is available as an IVD-certified product in routine care.

How can new bio-based and biohybrid materials with improved features be developed faster? Six Fraunhofer institutes are jointly exploring this question in the SUBI²MA flagship project, using an innovative bio-based polyamide developed by Fraunhofer researchers as a model. Its specific properties make it a promising alternative to fossil-based plastics. The researchers will present demonstrators made from caramides, which were produced as part of the flagship project, at the joint Fraunhofer booth at the K trade fair in Düsseldorf from October 8 to 15, 2025.

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has established a collaboration with the Technical University of Munich (TUM) from Germany, German research organisation Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) from Singapore, and other leading organisations to drive green technology (GreenTech) advancement and applications with cross-disciplinary research in areas of hydrogen value chain and waste valorisation solutions. The collaboration aims to address the pressing challenge of climate change and support Hong Kong in striving towards carbon-neutrality.

The rapid increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria is one of the most pressing challenges facing global health. A new transatlantic Fraunhofer research project aims to counter these threats with an innovative diagnostic approach: a microfluidic rapid test system using carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) will make bacterial resistance visible in just a few minutes, significantly faster than conventional methods.