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ePaper created 2017-03-14, 10:25:37 | version 1.49.03
DEAR READERS, In 2016 we reviewed our strategy and deined three business areas that we intend to focus on. These are Health, Chemistry and Process Industry, and Environment and Energy. The aim is to create innovative products and to develop new processes in all three areas. To do this, we irst develop the processes on a laboratory scale and then scale them up to an industry-relevant level. Until now the scaling up was carried out mainly at the Fraunhofer CBP in Leuna. Working with large volumes of up to 10 cubic meters is almost a matter of routine there, both for public- sector projects and directly under contract for industry. In the meantime over 100 conversion batches have been processed in the Leuna lignocellulose bioreinery pilot plant and several 100 kilograms of product samples based on lignin and celluloses have been supplied to various users. In view of this successful development, the state of Sachsen-Anhalt has made available funds for extending the plant. The irst projects were successfully completed in 2016 within the BioEconomy Cluster of Excellence. Further processes for scaling up in Leuna are already in the pipeline in Stuttgart and our branch institute in Straubing. With the CBP in Leuna we have closed the gap in scaling up from laboratory tests to the industrial scale and now offer a lag- ship bioreinery at the European level. An important issue across the various business areas is the use of carbon dioxide as a raw material. In this area, our colleagues in Straubing have succeeded in procuring funds for a European project which deals with the electrochemical and biochemical conversion of CO2 (see p. 82). The scale-up and scalability of processes is a matter of crucial importance for an institute oriented towards process engineering. In 2009, for example, we already planned technical de- partments at the Stuttgart location that enable us to develop further processes at an industry- relevant level. A new building was needed for this, and it has been available and operative since December 2016. We will realize our newly developed processes, and combine processes, in various technical departments with pilot facilities. For example, one of the technical depart- ments will be dedicated to the subject of “Water“ and will cater for various biological, chemi- cal and physical processes and combinations of processes for the puriication of industrial and urban wastewater. At the same time, valuable residual substances such as phosphorus will be recovered for use as agricultural fertilizers – in a process developed and patented by us. 6