2012|13 Annual Report Fraunhofer IGB

30 ECOWAMA The efﬂuents from the metal and plastic surface processing industry, particularly from galvanization, are rich in organic loading, salts, and heavy but valuable metals like nickel, cop- per and zinc. Led by the Fraunhofer IGB, the ECOWAMA project (“ECO-efﬁcient management of WAter in the MAnu- facturing industry”) seeks to develop an efﬁcient and cost-ef- fective method for electrochemical treatment of the efﬂuents of the project partners from France, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany. The goal is to recover valuable materials and reuse them in the production process. In times of rising prices on the global market, metals are particularly valuable. At the same time the hydrogen arising from the electrolytic treat- ment of water is to be recovered as electrical energy to im- prove energy efﬁciency. www.ecowama.eu BioEcoSIM In the EU-funded project BioEcoSIM, involving 15 partners from ﬁve European countries, pig manure is used as a valuable source of raw material. Coordinated by the Fraunhofer IGB, the project aims to convert the constituents of the slurry into various fertilizers: biochar as a phosphorous-rich organic soil improver as well as mineral fertilizers such as ammonium sul- phate, calcium phosphate and magnesium ammonium phos- phate (struvite). The products can be mixed to a nutrient com- position depending on the plant species and soil conditions, and used as easy-to-dose fertilizers for agricultural purposes. This not only prevents overfertilization but also reduces the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, the production of which is highly energy-intensive. The overall process makes use of energy-efﬁcient technologies and works on the principle of circular economy. www.bioecosim.eu ProEcoWine Fungi like downy mildew reduce wine yield and impair wine quality. In conventional as well as organic viticulture, grape growers usually apply copper to prevent these fungal diseases. Copper accumulates in the soil and is toxic to soil organisms. In the ProEcoWine project being conducted on behalf of ﬁve SMEs, the Fraunhofer IGB is collaborating with the University of West Hungary and Laboratoire PHENOBIO to develop an eco-friendly plant protection product suitable for bio viticul- ture to replace copper salts. It will be available as a combined preparation enriched with micronutrients. www.proecowine.eu L4CW-Demo Many industrial processes produce toxic wastewater that, in the interest of sustainable manufacturing, must be treated and puriﬁed before being reintroduced into the process or released into the environment. This approach is reﬂected ex- tensively in the legislation, including the EU Water Frame- work Directive and the IPPC [Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control] Directive. The Light4CleanWater project (FP7- SME-2008-01-232073) developed a pilot system that is able to safely and cheaply treat toxic, persistently organically pol- luted, waste streams without generating any secondary toxic by-products. The follow-up project, L4CW-Demo, focuses on industrial production of the system and its long-term demon- stration at customers’ premises, with a view to market launch by the consortium. www.l4cw.eu HIGHLIGHTS 2012 3 3 2 2

2012|13 Annual Report Fraunhofer IGB

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