Aktuelles | GNS mbH

As part of a short presentation at the Weinberg Campus in Halle, we, GNS, together with other companies, shared exciting insights into our work and the innovations at the site. We particularly highlighted our Magaverde® wine cartons - made from sustainable fermentation residue fibers. This unique packaging combines intelligent use of resources with a strong connection to the history of the Weinberg site.

Renowned winemakers from the Saale-Unstrut wine-growing region, two French wineries and the Weinberg Campus itself on the occasion of its 30th anniversary have already benefited from the advantages of these innovative products. Our appearance not only underlined the importance of sustainable solutions, but also the close connection between tradition and the future at the Weinberg Campus.

An official delegation with the mayor of the city of Halle and members of the German-French Society DFG Halle visited the twin city of Grenoble from May 13 to 18, 2024, exchanged ideas on culture, business and environmental protection and had many interesting encounters. As GNS, we handed over a sustainably produced Magaverde wine box from Halle to the winemaker Thomas Finot from the Finot winery near Grenoble. The atmosphere was simply great and representatives of the city of Grenoble want to support German-French cooperation here and in other projects.

We contributed to the network meeting at the DBFZ in Leipzig with the presentation "Materially usable products and additional added value in biogas production and digestate processing". The TecSAS innovation network focuses on the use of resources along the entire agricultural value chain. The variety of technologies and solutions presented for the sustainable use of resources, materials and water as well as in digitalization impressed us and made it clear once again that there is great potential in such networks that needs to be exploited.

To the website: http://www.tecsas-netzwerk.de/

From the idea to finished product samples in a sustainable technological line for the production of Magaverde® wine cartons, we presented our results of the R&D joint project in the Gravomer network (BMBF program WIR!) as part of the scientific conference of the ACC Forum (Academic Coordination Center of the Euroregion Neisse). The projects presented show a wide range of possibilities of how bio-based residues and fibers can lead to sustainable regional bioeconomy systems and what obstacles still exist along the way.

To the website: www.hszg.de

Just in time for the 30th anniversary of the Weinberg Campus in Halle, we were able to provide our sustainable Magaverde® wine packaging with a red campus logo and an organic wine from the region. The production of the labels and the wine box - glued with organic glue and printed with organic colors by allesbedruckbar from Merseburg - took place in a technological chain together with partners from the region. Our special thanks go to the Halle workshops for the disabled, where the cutting and gluing took place with a lot of commitment and know-how. The proceeds will go to supporting young talent in the MINT field.

The summer Campus Family Day (website: www.technologiepark-weinberg-campus.de) was an all-round successful event.

Participants of the 3rd abonocare® conference on June 20, 2023 in Leipzig were able to learn how to efficiently recover nutrients from sewage sludge, liquid manure, fermentation residues and organic waste and how to produce sustainable fertilizers. The technologies for intelligent and sustainable nutrient recycling of organic residues, developed and tested jointly by companies and research institutions in the abonocare® growth core, were presented. Their goal is an economical circular economy in which biogenic waste is turned back into resources. As network manager of one of the key topics, Dr. Ute Bauermeister from GNS presented the results of the networking of technologies for nutrient recovery in connection with the fermentation of nutrient-rich substrates.

The report of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research focuses on “Innovation & Structural Change” and reports on our joint project Magaverde Sustainably printable, surface-treated and micro-structureable biofiber paper.

In the GRAVOmer network, together with partners (TU Darmstadt, BENAS Power Group, allesbedruckbar), we have found new ways and methods to give Magaverde® fiber paper made from waste materials the desired surface properties so that they can be printed and processed sustainably. Only ecologically sustainable and biodegradable materials are used in paper production as well as in gluing, printing and coating.

The “Energy and Environment” and “Process Engineering” working groups of the VDI Halle District Association invited members and interested parties to Sangerhausen for a colloquium on the topic “How clean is our drinking water?” GNS was involved in the organization and made a specialist contribution.

Our unsustainable agricultural and industrial production often leads to high levels of environmental pollution, the negative environmental effects of which often only become apparent after many decades. In her presentation, Dr. Bauermeister from GNS spoke about nitrate in groundwater as a problem for our drinking water treatment and possible solutions for reducing nitrate inputs from agriculture.

Other speeches reported on increasing pollution of natural springs and wells used for drinking water production and on drug residues in drinking water.

Organic waste, liquid manure and sewage sludge are rich in nutrients and available in large quantities. These organic residues are a valuable resource that requires efficient and sustainable solutions to use. As a member of the abonocare® growth core, we are involved in the new developments. Join in the discussion about new approaches to nutrient recycling, the legal framework and the application potential of new types of fertilizer products at the online conference on July 6, 2021.

You can register for this free event here: www.abonocare.de

At the specialist symposium of the Flexodruck Fachverband eV (www.dfta.de), Dr. Bauermeister presented the sustainable Magaverde® biofiber paper.

There is a great need to offer products in ecological packaging and to avoid the spread of microplastics in the environment. Our Magaverde® biofiber paper should therefore not only be sustainably produced and completely biodegradable, but also the printing inks and surface treatments used should be. The current status of our products and the challenges were presented.

With the VDI on January 15, 2020 on site in Bitterfeld-Wolfen.

The "Energy and Environment" working group of the VDI Halle District Association started with a new management team and a tour of the HYPOS H2 network project on January 15, 2020 in Bitterfeld-Wolfen. In order to achieve the ambitious goals of the energy transition, technologies for the generation, storage and transport of energy must be developed. In addition to the existing natural gas infrastructure, additional supply infrastructure for green hydrogen will also be required. So far, however, there is little experience in the distribution of pure hydrogen. There are only a few hydrogen pipelines worldwide that consist exclusively of steel materials. On January 15, 2020, the "Energy and Environment" working group of the Halle District Association of the Association of German Engineers (VDI) invited people to a tour of the "H2 network" project in the HYPOS research network in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, which focuses on the testing of plastic pipelines, suitability for modern installation methods, the connection and supply of a hydrogen consumer and the distribution network structure including safety technology. The twenty-eight participants were able to inspect the installed test technology:

With a keynote speech on new value chains for biogas plants, GNS answered questions from practitioners on September 26, 2018 in Unsleben (Rhöhn-Grabfeld). Further dates followed in October 2018 to March 2019. The joint project "Potential fields of a rural bioeconomy" by the IÖW and IfaS is dedicated to the evaluation and development of concrete value chains of a rural bioeconomy.

Regional workshops and a final workshop were held at several locations in Germany, where GNS was present with specialist presentations and as a discussion partner.On the Rural Bioeconomy

To the website: www.terratec-leipzig.de

To the website: www.tkor-netzwerk.de

A highlight of the trade fair appearance was the visit of the Saxon State Minister for the Environment and Agriculture, Thomas Schmidt, to the TKoR network stand. On April 7, 2017, State Minister Schmidt learned about the work of the network from Dr. Ute Bauermeister, GNS GmbH, Dr. Gerd Arnold, evermind GmbH, and Claudyn Kidszun, LAV GmbH. From April 5 to 7, 2017, 3,200 trade visitors came to the glass hall of the Leipzig Trade Fair to find out about current topics and innovations at terratec and to make contacts with other industry representatives. 128 exhibitors from six countries took part in the high-caliber specialist program and the exhibition, including numerous well-known manufacturers and institutions in the waste and recycling sectors.

Thomas Schmidt, Saxon State Minister for the Environment and Agriculture, Claudyn Kidszun, LAV GmbH, Dr. Ute Bauermeister, GNS GmbH, and Dr. Gerd Arnold, evermind GmbH, in conversation at the TKoR network stand at the terratec in Leipzig (from left to right). - Photo: evermind GmbH/Georg Drabner

The TKoR network participated with great success in the terratec trade fair in Leipzig. The technology and competence center for organic waste recycling, managed by Leipzig-based evermind GmbH, was represented with its own stand at the trade fair for waste disposal, recycling and resource management.

We will be represented at the BioEconomy Cluster Central Germany stand at the 9th EFIB Forum and Exhibition from October 18 to 20, 2016. The European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology and the Bioeconomy EFIB is one of the most important events for bioeconomy and bio-based industry in Europe, where business, politics and biotechnology meet. More than 650 participants from 34 nations are expected.

Over three days, decision-makers, brand owners and biotechnology experts present themselves, discuss the latest developments in the industry and establish international and interdisciplinary contacts. More than 100 lectures and pre-event workshops convey approaches to expanding the bio-based economy and pursuing new technological paths.www.efibforum.com

We will provide information on the following topics at the BioEconomy Cluster stand:

A consortium of three companies and a university has launched a groundbreaking project as part of the ZIM program (Central Innovation Program for SMEs) to develop flexible, sustainable insulation and absorption panels. The project is funded by the ZIM program and combines the expertise of GNS, Additivum, Lithium Designers GmbH and the Institute for Printing Machines and Printing Processes (IDD) at TU Darmstadt.

The project “Development of flexible insulation and absorption panels made of sustainable natural fibers using additive manufacturing and parametric design” represents a significant step towards sustainable construction innovations and underlines the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation. Source: Lithium Designers GmbH

In our R&D projects, we offer student and professional internships in the field of sustainable products and processes in the bioeconomy. For example, we offer tasks in the area of developing bio-based reaction mixtures for use in 3D printing. In laboratory experiments, you can sometimes experience surprisingly beautiful things, such as this spontaneous star-like folding of an oily mass. The aim is to transfer development work from the laboratory to the pilot plant scale.

We offer supervision of bachelor's and master's theses. Please contact us.

We look forward to receiving your application at info@gns-halle.de.

Municipal sewage treatment plants are increasingly interested in reducing their energy requirements for wastewater treatment and sludge treatment and in covering them more through their own energy generation from sewage sludge digestion. The possibilities are diverse, but numerous process engineering tasks must also be solved to exploit this potential.

A first step is to investigate the residual gas potential, which we determine in our laboratory in fermentation tests. An energy balance is also the basis for evaluating various technical variants of process optimization. Co-fermentation or high-load digestion also offer opportunities for increasing efficiency.

Our team is looking forward to collaborating on this project, where we will conduct and coordinate the process engineering, economic and environmental assessment for implementation on an industrial scale.

Researchers from the German Biomass Research Center (DBFZ) and the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) have developed the process in which valuable organic acids are extracted from residual materials before use in a biogas plant and processed into sustainable products. This is now being scaled up to a pilot scale together with industrial partners in the "CapUp" project.

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK).

Other industrial partners: BALANCE Erneuerbare Energien GmbH, VNG AG, Fuchs Lubricants Co., Kelterei Sachsenobst GmbH

F&E Project

To the website: www.dbfz.de

Organic waste is turned into sustainable fertilizers.

In the abonocare® alliance, we have worked in recent years with partners from industry and research on innovative solutions for making previously lost nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus usable. Together with other companies, we have been able to show that new, environmentally and resource-friendly technologies can be used to create economic value chains and sustainable fertilizer products and make them available again for agricultural production. Circular agriculture can therefore be efficient, protect the environment and also help reduce CO2 emissions.

To the website: www.abonocare.de

Our model project on sustainable viticulture is entering its final round. With the yield measurements of the vines, the scientific studies on the effect of Magaverde mulch paper on the vineyard in Freyburg-Unstrut will now be completed over two years (2021/2022).

One thing is certain: the biodegradable mulch paper reduces weed growth, keeps the soil moist for longer and improves the vitality and yield of the vines. Over the past two years, we have had a good working relationship with the winegrowers and have been able to incorporate their experience into our product development.

The project is funded by the BMWK as part of the model project "Unternehmen Revier".

Many thousands of mats already delivered in Germany and France!

At the end of April, the Freyburg-Unstrut winegrowers' association began laying the first sustainable Magaverde® mulch mats and mulch papers in the model project "Sustainable winegrowing in the Saale-Unstrut winegrowing region" (funded by the federal "Unternehmen Revier" program). The material laid out under the vines is intended to be used particularly on steep slopes and effectively prevent weed growth. At the same time, rainwater is directed directly to the vine trunk, seeps through the mats, keeps the soil moist and protects it from drying out. The use of herbicides such as glyphosate is no longer necessary.

The project has already attracted a lot of attention and many interested parties. There is also great interest on Lake Constance and in various French regions such as Champagne. We are particularly pleased about the collaboration with the German-French Societies (DFG) in Friedrichshafen and Halle (Saale). In autumn 2021, the DFG Halle will organize a German-French exchange of experiences on "Green Paths of Viticulture" (funded by the German-French Citizens' Fund "Fonds Citoyen Franco-Allemand").

How can you quickly find out whether an empty gas cylinder is hazardous waste and where should you put it? You can find the answer in the Waste Assessment Information Portal (IPA). To ensure that this information is always up to date, it is regularly updated. The waste profile "1605 and 1501 Gases in pressure vessels and used chemicals - Gases" was revised by GNS on behalf of the Baden-Württemberg State Agency for the Environment (LUBW) and is now online. We have already revised several such profiles for the IPA portal.

www.abfallbewertung.org

Magaverde biofiber products help prevent microplastics in the environment, conserve natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, are completely biodegradable and can be recycled. A wide range of products and packaging can be produced using paper production and fiber processing processes. Visit our website and become a partner or customer.

We are now offering our sustainable products made from regional natural materials from an environmentally friendly cascade and circular economy together with partners on our new platform www.magaverde.de.

In the EU project SYSTEMIC, GNS is demonstrating innovative technologies for the recovery of plant nutrients from biogenic waste. At five demonstration sites across Europe, the SYSTEMIC project is showing new approaches for the utilization of biowaste to produce energy, secondary raw materials, fertilizers and organic soil improvers. With the FiberPlus plant at the BENAS biogas plant, GNS has been involved as one of the five demonstration sites since 2017.

Find out more about the novel nutrient recovery technologies on the project website and subscribe to the newsletter.These pioneering plants play a crucial role in evaluating the new technologies for closing the loop. SYSTEMIC will promote the implementation of circular processes for biowaste in Europe.New video from Systemic: Watch the videoOr directly on YouTube

joint project Biogas-Fiber-Plus

After various technical adjustments to the equipment and settings, the pilot plant for ammonia removal from fibrous fermentation residues could be operated continuously with a throughput of 2 m³/h. Sample batches of biogas fibers were produced and handed over to the partner Kronospan. The first sample panels were produced from these biogas fibers. The material properties are now being investigated.

In parallel to the test operation of the pilot plant, extensive physical and chemical investigations were carried out on fermentation residues and factors influencing technical treatment steps on the fiber quality. The pilot plant will be further optimized on this basis. It is planned to use the optimized pilot plant to deliver another sample batch of biogas fibers to Kronospan at the end of August/beginning of September 2016.Cluster News

Transporting fermentation residues over long distances can be expensive. The production of transportable mineral fertilizers opens up new ways for cost-effective and low-emission N, P fertilizer management. At our fermentation residue processing plants, around 320 kg/d of ammonium nitrogen are removed from 100 m³/d of fermentation residue. This produces 5.5 m³ of ammonium sulfate fertilizer and 1.6 t of carbonate lime fertilizer. Apart from inexpensive REA gypsum, no additives are used for this. Both products are approved fertilizers according to DüMV and are produced in consistent quality.

The ammonium sulfate solution - ASL is suitable as a combined N/S fertilizer for all agricultural crops. The possibility of foliar spraying is particularly interesting, as no caustic effect is to be expected with our product. It can also be used in mixtures with other liquid fertilizers and plant protection products. Carbonate lime is effective in the long term and is particularly suitable for liming and raising the pH value of light and medium-heavy soils. It therefore supports the nutrient utilization of other fertilizers. Due to the adhering ASL, the lime contains an additional fertilizer value of nitrogen and sulfur.

It is important to us to introduce young people to engineering and natural sciences (STEM subjects) and, in particular, to support the scientific approach to practical tasks and problem solving. Every year, we supervise student internships and bachelor's and master's theses.

In 2023, we also took part for the first time as supervisors at Jugend forscht Sachsen-Anhalt and supported a student in a project in the field of technology for over a year, who defended this with prizes for the project "Biofibers as packaging material".

The requirements of climate protection and sustainability go hand in hand. We as the GNS team always keep an eye on these requirements for our customers. We have 30 years of experience in preparing GHG balances and life cycle assessments for processes and products.

In April 2022, we expanded our knowledge to include the current requirements and standards of carbon footprint and climate neutrality, certified by the GUTcert Academy. This means we can now offer our customers even more support in climate management and sustainable product and process development. We help you create and verify the carbon footprint of companies, processes and products, but also with greenhouse gas balances, life cycle assessments and sub-areas such as recyclability.

Ceremony at the Federal Environment Agency in Dessau

On November 17, 2016, the winners of the competition for the 2016 Saxony-Anhalt Environmental Alliance Prize were announced and awarded at the ceremony at the Federal Environment Agency in Dessau. We were awarded first prize in the "Concepts and Projects" category for our "FaserPlus" digestate processing system. The prize was presented by the current state environment minister, Prof. Dr. Claudia Dalbert. The Saxony-Anhalt Environmental Alliance was formed in 1999 as a voluntary agreement between the state government and industry. The alliance is under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt.

Presentation of GNS for the Environmental Alliance Award 2016

Watch the presentation on Youtube

Events & Publications

26. November 2024

Sustainability meets history – GNS on the Weinberg Campus

13. - 18. May 2024

Delegation and citizen trip within the framework of the Halle-Grenoble town twinning

25. April 2024

Lecture at the TecSAS network meeting at the DBFZ in Leipzig﻿

22. November 2023

Lecture at the 22nd South German Biogas Conference in Ursbe

20.10.2023﻿

Products made from waste materials, presented at the ACC Forum 2023 in Ostritz﻿

29.06.2023﻿

30 years of the Weinberg Campus technology park in Halle

20.06.23﻿

3rd abonocare® Conference in Leipzig

25th company anniversary of GNS on April 25, 2023

March 29 and 31, 2023

state competition "Jugend forscht" in Halle

21.01.2023

Sustainable products presented at the Central German Winegrowing Day in Naumburg

November 2022

BMBF report: "Paper from digestate fibers"

July 2022

Lectures at CARMEN Symposium (Straubing) and Biogas Info Days (Ulm)

21-23.06.2022 in Leipzig

Poster presentation at the DBFZ Annual Conference

02.05.2022 in Altenburg

We present projects at the 1st Central German Bioeconomy Congress

We will be there on March 17 & 18 at the congress “Eco-Innovations with Biomass 2022”

30.09.2021

VDI Colloquium "How clean is our drinking water"

06.07.2021﻿

2nd online conference abonocare® Sustainable nutrient recycling from organic residues

11.02.2021

Lecture at the DFTA Symposium "Alternative Packaging Materials"

16.09.2020

Poster contribution by GNS to the online DBFZ annual conference on 16.09.2020

16.09.2020

1st abonocare conference

15.01.2020

Green hydrogen needs secure distribution networks, VDI colloquium on 15.01.2020

With the VDI on January 15, 2020 on site in Bitterfeld-Wolfen.

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03./04.12.2019

GNS at the Biogas Congress 2019, 03./04.12.2019 in St. Pölten

August 2019

Companies introduce themselves, August 2019

September 2019

Nutrients from fermentation products, specialist article in the environmental magazine September 2019

07.06.2019

World improvers from Halle, newspaper article about the SYSTEMIC meeting in Halle, 07.06.2019

4/2019

Nutrient Recovery International, specialist article in "Energy from Plants" 4/2019

26.09.2018

Future Workshop Rural Bioeconomy, 26.09.2018﻿

30.08.2018

Biogas Conference in Heiden, 30.08.2018

05. – 07.04.2017

GNS with the TKoR network at terratec, 05. – 07.04.2017

October 18 to 20, 2016 in Glasgow

The European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology and the Bioeconomy, 18. – 20.10. 2016

Fiber production from biogas plants can be applied on a large scale

New Projects & Project Info

July 2024﻿

Innovation in 3D printing: Sustainable insulation and absorption panels made of natural fibers

June 2024

student internships

December 2023﻿

More energy from digested sludge - advice for sewage treatment plants

Joint project for chemical production at biogas plants started, 02-2023

abonocare@ alliance completes R&D phase with demonstrators, Dec. 2022

It is the time of the grape harvest in the model project, 09-2022

Successful start to the season in the vineyard with mulch mats against weeds, 05-2021

Magaverde® biofiber paper is an input for organic farming, 02-2021﻿

Waste assessment with waste profiles in the IPA portal, 01-2021

Launch of the Magaverde platform for sustainable products and packaging, 10-2020

Towards a circular economy with tested technologies, 09-2019

Fiber production from biogas plants applicable on a large scale, 06-2018

First sample batch production of biogas fibers, 06-2016

joint project Biogas-Fiber-Plus

Lecture at the TecSAS network meeting at the DBFZ in Leipzig

20.10.2023

Products made from waste materials, presented at the ACC Forum 2023 in Ostritz

29.06.2023

20.06.23

06.07.2021

Future Workshop Rural Bioeconomy, 26.09.2018

July 2024

December 2023

Magaverde® biofiber paper is an input for organic farming, 02-2021