Biopolymers

 

14.12.2023

Bio-based packaging nets and color pigments

Plastic-free packaging nets for fruit, vegetables and Christmas trees are the aim of a new project at the Fraunhofer IMWS. Together with partners, the institute wants to develop corresponding waxes, color pigments and compounds that are bio-based and biodegradable.  

 

UD tapes on a biological basis

Cars should be lighter and thus more environmentally friendly. An important approach here is to replace metallic components with fiber-plastic composites with the same stability.

 

No make or break

In a project that will continue until the end of December 2017, researchers at the Fraunhofer IMWS are working with NOVO-TECH GmbH & Co. KG in Aschersleben, Saxony-Anhalt on a formula that predicts the performance of wood-polymer materials, in order to optimize load-bearing structures.

 

Clean cosmetics for a healthy environment

Plastic particles in care products are a problem for the environment: They get into the sea via wastewater and thus into the food chain. In a research project, we scientists of the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS together with partners from industry would like to replace such microplastic particles in toothpastes and body peeling products with biologically degradable substances.

 

From tree to structural foam

Plastics made from organic mass have been developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS in a group research project by the BioEconomy leading-edge cluster.

 

New impregnation method for sustainable reinforcement fibres

Light, sturdy, sustainable – those are the demands on new construction materials. Uni-directional fibre-reinforced materials, or UD-Tapes, have very high potential.  

 

Lightweight solutions made of bio-based tapes

In order to protect the climate, the EU Commission has decided that harmful emissions from car traffic are to be reduced significantly by 2020. The industry is therefore looking for creative solutions, for example, weight savings.

 

Biodegradable microplastic alternatives

Microplastics are still used in personal care products, although the environmental impact is well known. Tiny plastic particles from peelings and other skincare products enter the sea and ultimately our food chain via waste-water systems.

 

RUBIO project provides bio-booster for the plastics industry in Central Germany

Regionally available raw materials are to be turned into plastics that can be used in a variety of ways, thus making Central Germany a showcase region for green chemistry: With this goal in mind, 18 partners have joined forces in the "RUBIO" project, which covers the entire value chain from raw materials to recycling. The Fraunhofer IMWS is contributing its expertise in the development of bioplastics and the characterization of polymer materials.

 

Adaptive foam on a sustainable basis

Fraunhofer IMWS wants to develop a foam that possesses a much better ecobalance than conventional polymer foams made of polystyrene or polyurethane, for example, whose production requires lots of energy and oil. 

 

Bio-based epoxy resins

The aim of the project "OrangeOil" is to develop a bio-based epoxy resin system from orange peels - a residual material from the production of juice and jam.

 

Adhesive from natural materials

In the project "Biocides and fire-inhibiting strengthening of biogenic adhesive systems with natural filling and functional materials – BEKs, a biogenic adhesive system is being developed sustainably using nature-based epoxy resin matrices and effective crosslinkers.

 

Ecological insulation material made from rapeseed hulls and biobased epoxy resin

In the "DaeRpa" project an innovative approach to the use of rapeseed hulls as an insulating material is to be investigated. In general, insulation materials based on renewable raw materials can nowadays keep up with the technical data of conventional insulation materials in most applications.