Reference projects

Funding: BMBF || Duration: April 2019 – March 2022 || In the “abonoCARE®” project, nine small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have joined forces with six research institutions in order to develop economic value chains for nutrient recycling from organic residues and to offer sustainable high-performance fertilizer products for efficient agriculture. For this purpose, different technologies for the processing and formulation of organic residues are being developed.

Funding: Fraunhofer and Max Planck cooperation program || Duration: January 2019 – December 2022 || The "eBioCO2n" project, which is being carried out jointly by Fraunhofer and Max Planck scientists, pursues an ambitious approach to converting CO2 into chemicals with electricity from renewable sources: Similar to photosynthesis, CO2 is to be fixed with electron-transmitting biocatalysts and then linked to further enzymatic conversion steps.

Funding: BMU || Duration: Novemver 2020 – October 2022 || India's fast-growing cities are faced with the task of modernizing their water supply and wastewater disposal systems. In order to support German companies in opening up the Indian market, the AQUA-Hub project is implementing two Water Innovation Hubs in selected "smart cities" and flanking them with demonstrations of German measurement technology.

Funding: »Fraunhofer vs. Corona« || Duration: October 2020 – September 2021 || Aerosols pose an increased risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2. This is where the "Virus Grill" project comes in. The aim is to inactivate viruses by heating the air, to reduce the probability of infection via droplets suspended in the ambient air. Virus Grill is a subproject of the AVATOR project exploring ways to reduce the risk of infection from aerosol-borne viruses in enclosed spaces.

Funding: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft || Duration: June 2014 – May 2018 || As part of Fraunhofer's “Theranostic Implants” lighthouse project, Fraunhofer IGB developed an albumin coating for titanium implants that significantly accelerates the adhesion of mesenchymal stem cells. The layers can be sterilized with standard methods (gamma sterilization, electron beam sterilization) without any loss of function.

Funding: BMBF || Duration: November 2020 – November 2023 || With fossil-based resources becoming more scarce, the textile industry has an ever growing need to identify and develop alternative raw materials for manufacturing textiles fibers. In the AlgaeTex project, researchers are striving to manufacture a variety of polymers using algae-based fatty acids as the main constituent. Their goal here is to develop polyesters and polyamides suitable for melt spinning processes, so they can be widely used in the textile industry.

Funding: BMBF || Duration: July 2021 – June 2024 || The Biosurfactants Innovation Alliance is the first strategic alliance of renowned companies and research institutions in Germany aiming at finding sustainable and scalable alternatives to chemically synthesized surfactants, which have so far been produced from fossil raw materials. Therefore, we are examining and developing the process engineering production of biosurfactants in the alliance using biotechnological methods based on domestic renewable raw materials and residues. Together with our project partners, we systematically investigate their potential applications – for example, as components of detergents and cleaning agents, in cosmetics, bioremediation, crop protection and food.

Duration: July 2014 – June 2017 || In an extensive study, Fraunhofer IGB investigated the potential of high-load digestion of sewage sludge for producing biogas, which can be used to generate electricity and heat. The experts at the Institute evaluated the overall potential of all wastewater treatment plants in Baden-Württemberg in size class 4.

In the "AquaBioTox" project, we at the Fraunhofer IGB, together with the project partners Berliner Wasserbetriebe, bbe Moldaenke and the Fraunhofer IOSB, are developing solutions for the continuous online monitoring of drinking water pipes with the aim of establishing a biological broadband sensor that reacts immediately and reliably to hazardous substances in the water and makes this visible by means of automatic image evaluation.

Funding: BMBF || Duration: July 2021 – June 2023 || Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have contaminated groundwater and soils at numerous sites due to their widespread industrial use (e.g. as extinguishing and wetting agents). Conventional remediation methods are complex and costly. Therefore, the AtWaPlas project aims to develop a new process for eliminating PFAS from groundwater, seepage water and washwater based on atmospheric plasma treatment.