Reference projects

Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is widely used in furniture construction. It has a very homogeneous surface that can be coated particularly smoothly. Furthermore, it can be produced economically and sustainably from regionally available wood and recycled waste wood. As a result, it also plays a major role in the construction industry - for example as a substrate for floor coverings or wall panels. Through this research project, we are aiming to make MDF and similar fiberboards even more sustainable. In collaboration with industrial partners, we are developing a formaldehyde-free adhesive system with bio-based materials that are available on the market at low cost. The special highlight: The new adhesive system functions without conventional adhesives.

Furniture must fulfill diverse requirements. It should be affordable, stable, easy to move house with, aesthetically pleasing and, ideally, flexible in its design. As a result, it often consists of a number of components and materials. With sustainability in mind, the recyclability of furniture is increasingly becoming the focus of attention. The decisive factor here is that the utilized materials can be fully separated by type. In collaboration with the design company Studio Jonathan Radetz, we are developing a furniture system that is comprised of just two materials, each with excellent recyclability: tubular steel and natural-fiber textiles. Thanks to an innovative construction principle and ultra-modern weaving technology, these materials are being used to create furniture and design elements that can be easily dismantled, converted, transported, and recycled to a high standard. We are demonstrating the feasibility of this by means of seating elements for semi-public spaces.

How can particularly sustainable thermal insulation materials be produced for buildings? With fungi! In collaboration with the Braunschweig-based start-up “YcoLabs”, we are using the organic growth of fungal mycelium as a natural binder in order to process plant residues such as hemp hurds, wood shavings or elephant-grass fibers into insulation materials. One particular advantage: The insulation materials can be allowed to grow into virtually any shape and size. This makes them very versatile. In order to demonstrate the performance capabilities of the fungal insulation materials, we are producing prototypes for an application example and testing them in a real operational environment. In subsequent pilot projects with the construction industry, we aim to further develop the insulation materials into a variety of marketable products. In this way, we are providing a contribution towards an increase in the proportion of renewable raw materials in buildings and, consequently, towards achieving climate- and environmental-protection targets.

Heat, drought, storms, bark beetles: In the Harz National Park, climate change is leading to widespread forest damage. Reforestation will take decades. This has a significant impact on the timber and forestry industry, tourism and, consequently, the well-being of the regional population. In collaboration with research and regional partners, we are developing various scenarios for reforestation and are predicting their ecosystem services as well as their socio-economic effects above and beyond this. One approach involves replacing the dead spruce stands with more climate-resistant deciduous tree species. At the Fraunhofer WKI, we are investigating the achievable wood quality and yield as well as the suitability of the wood for the production of wood-based materials.

With this project, we would like to demonstrate how agroforestry systems with fast-growing poplars can enable sustainable agriculture whilst simultaneously strengthening the wood industry. In collaboration with research and practice partners, we are establishing model regions in Northern Germany and developing innovative value chains for poplar wood – in particular for material use. The focus of the Fraunhofer WKI thereby lies on the development of wood-based materials and hybrid material composites. Through the optimization of poplar cultivation, suitable wood qualities and assortments are to be achieved. In order to facilitate the entry of agricultural and wood-utilizing companies into the agroforestry value chains and to ensure the purchase of wood at stable conditions, cooperation models are being developed and networks established within the project.

Re-using wood several times: Good for the climate, technically possible and economically interesting. However, products made from waste wood are difficult to market. The problem is that potential buyers need to understand the benefits of waste-wood products and be able to trust that waste wood has indeed been utilized. For this reason, we are, in collaboration with the Thünen Institute, developing scientifically based recommendations for action with regard to quality assurance and end-user awareness - for example with the help of certificates and quality seals. As waste wood is almost exclusively utilized materially in particle-board production, we are focusing on this material and the products made therefrom, in particular furniture. The aim is to increase the market share of products based on waste wood and, consequently, to provide a contribution towards both the efficient use of raw materials and climate protection.

The wood constituent lignin accrues in large quantities as a by-product of pulp and paper production. In collaboration with industrial partners, we are developing a high-performance bio-foam from lignin. In order to demonstrate its market potential, the lignin foam is being processed into molded parts for the automotive industry within the scope of the project. These parts are to be utilized as the core in car bumpers. Petrochemical foam materials could also be replaced by climate-friendly lignin foams in numerous other applications - for example in packaging, insulation materials or as a core material in wind-turbine rotor blades.

Around 8 to 10 million metric tonnes of waste wood accrue in Germany every year. A good 80 percent of this is used directly for energy, i.e. incinerated. In order to make more efficient use of wood as a resource, it is necessary for significantly more waste wood to be materially re-used (material recycling). One obstacle is the fact that up to now, considerable effort has been required in order to determine possible contamination. A significant simplification is being developed within a project led by the University of Greifswald in collaboration with the Fraunhofer WKI and industrial companies: the optimization of “X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF)” for the sample type waste wood. The new analysis method should be quick and easy to use for all parties involved in the waste-wood value chain – for example recycling companies, wood-based material manufacturers and authorities.

There are already more than 30,000 wind turbines in Germany. By 2030, there could be more than twice as many. A wind turbine is usable for around 20 to 30 years and must then be disposed of. The tower made from steel and concrete is already very easy to recycle, but the rotor blades have not been up until now. They consist of complex multi-material composites – firmly bonded by thermoset resins. One promising approach: With the aid of detachable resin systems, rotor blades could be constructed in such a way that the materials can be separated by type at the end of the service life. In collaboration with research and industry partners, we are developing industrially feasible production, separation and processing procedures for this purpose. The focus of the Fraunhofer WKI lies in the processing and reutilization of recovered glass fibers and balsa-wood components. As a result, we are helping to ensure that a high-quality reutilization of 100 percent of the wind-turbine materials is possible at the end of their service life.

Particle boards are a sustainable and inexpensive construction material for houses and furniture. They can be produced from regionally available wood residues and recycled waste wood. Through this research project, particle boards will become even more sustainable. In collaboration with industrial partners, we are developing particle boards that are produced using a new kind of adhesive which should not contain any health-critical formaldehyde and which consists entirely of biogenic raw materials. Furthermore, we are conducting tests to determine whether the particle boards can be produced using alternative types of wood, which will be increasingly available in the future as a result of forest restructuring.