F&E-Projects

Development of Form-Flexible, Manufacturable Insulation and Absorption Panels from Sustainable Natural Fibers Using Additive Manufacturing and Parametric Design

Period: 12/2023 - 04/2026

Founding: funded by BMWK, Zentrales Innovationsprogramm Mittelstand ZIM

Project partners: Additivum, der Lithium Designers und dem Institut für Druckmaschinen und Druckverfahren (IDD) der TU Darmstadt

Goals: The aim of the project is to develop a sustainable material that can be used to produce irregularly shaped absorption or insulation panels cost-effectively and digitally. This is made possible by the use of parametric design and 3D printing.

Chemical production at biogas plants - Upscaling of a process for the production of medium-chain carboxylic acids from regional residues (2021 to 2023)

Period: 02/2023 - 07/2023

Funding: funded by BMWK in the program "Industrial Bioeconomy

Project partners: German Biomass Research Centre (DBFZ), Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)
Associated partners: BALANCE Erneuerbare Energien GmbH, VNG AG, Fuchs Lubricants Co, Kelterei Sachsenobst GmbH.

Goals: The process for carboxylic acid production from biomass developed on a laboratory scale by DBFZ and UFZ is now to be raised to a next technology level. The following sub-goals are being pursued in order to achieve a level of technology maturity suitable for market launch:

• Scaling up the entire process chain of a biorefinery process for the production of chemicals, biogas and fertilizer by a factor of 10 and demonstration at TRL of 5-6.
• By scaling up to near-application apparatus, process data will be obtained as a basis for robust process evaluation and sample quantities will be produced for extensive product testing. The DBFZ's multi-purpose demonstration facility will be used for this purpose.

In addition to coordinating the project, GNS is carrying out the process engineering, economic and ecological evaluation with the derivation of a utilization concept involving the associated partners.

Sustainably printable, surface-treated and microstructurable biofibres paper for packaging and 3D products (2021 to 2023

Period: 7/2021 - 06/2023

Funding: funded by the BMBF in the pilot program “WIR! - Change through innovation in the region" of the "Innovation & Structural Change" program family

Project partner: BENAS Biopower Group, Institute for Printing Machines and Printing Processes (IDD) at TU Darmstadt, Druckerei Werbeteam GbR

Associated partners: BENAS Biopower Group, Institute for Printing Machines and Printing Processes (IDD) at TU Darmstadt, Druckerei Werbeteam GbR

Goal: Not only our Magaverde organic fiber paper should be sustainably produced and completely biodegradable, the printing inks and surface treatments used should be too. For this purpose, we have developed a joint project with partners from science and industry as part of the GRAVOmer network (www.gravomer.de). In this project, we are developing innovative ways and methods for sustainable printing and surface treatment that are suitable for industrial processing.

1. In all finishing processes such as printing and surface treatment of the paper, the ecological harmlessness should be maintained, so that harmful influences on the environment are avoided if products made from it pass into the natural ruffles after use.
2. New processing methods are intended to create high-quality optical, haptic and other property-enhancing effects, which significantly improve the variety of possible products and their intrinsic value, without impairing the original character of the sustainable bio-fiber paper.
3. Together with the associated partners, demonstrators are to be created, i.e. products such as packaging and cardboard boxes, in order to check the practical suitability of the results of the development.

Project video: www.youtube.de

Model project "Sustainable viticulture with weed protection using biodegradable mulch mats in the wine-growing region of Saale-Unstrut" (2021 - 2022)

Period: 1/2021 - 12/2022

Founding: funded by the BMWi in the federal funding measure "Enterprise Revier"

Project partners: Winegrowers' Association Freyburg-Unstrut eG and other wineries in the region, Research Institute for Post-Mining Landscapes e.V. (FIB e.V. Finsterwalde)

Goal: With a history going back more than 1000 years, the Saale-Unstrut wine-growing region is an important pillar in the cultural region of Burgenlandkreis. The entire area on the Saale and Unstrut is a zone II protection area for groundwater and spring water extraction. Vine-growing on the steep slopes of Saale-Unstrut without chemical herbicides and pesticides therefore protects the environment and our health. However, this is associated with an increased manual effort of tillage.

1. Together with the winegrowers' association Freyburg-Unstrut and several wineries in the Saale-Unstrut region, the use of biodegradable Magaverde mulch mats and mulch paper as protection against weeds is to be demonstrated and suitable laying techniques are to be tested.
2. The Research Institute for Post-Mining Landscapes e.V. in Finsterwalde carries out the scientific monitoring by measuring weed suppression, soil moisture, water infiltration and plant vitality.
3. As a result, economic models are developed so that sustainable weed protection can be widely used in viticulture in the region and beyond.

Our projects

Closed technology chains for nutrient recycling from organic residues - organic residues to advanced nutrient (2019-2022)

Period: 4/2019 - 12/2022

Funding: Funded by BMBF in the funding program "Innovative regional growth cores"

Project partner: Consortium of 11 industrial partners and 6 research partners in the region of Central Germany, www.abonocare.de

Goal: Abonocare® is an association of innovative SMEs who have come together to develop efficient and financially viable technology and value chains for creating products from organic waste.

The core of Abonocare® is its partners, which provide a wide range of conditioning, conversion, fractionation and mixing technologies. These partners are joined by companies and institutions which provide a wide range of analysis services and laboratory and test facilities for product and process development purposes. A total of 4 areas are shown:

1. Conditioning technologies for the preparation of organic residues
2. Process for sewage sludge utilization with the production of phosphorus fertilizer and biochar
3. Process for digestate treatment with nitrogen recovery
4. Process for the production of fertilizer granulates and special earth mixtures

In area 3, the following developments are carried out and services are offered under the direction of GNS:

1. Processes and systems for processing liquid organic residues with the production of high-quality fertilizer products
2. Production of high-quality fertilizer products: ASL (25 - 40%), adapted special N fertilizer solutions (N, N + S, NPK, NPK + S), AHC product, MAP fertilizer
3. Research and development expertise in the field of nutrient recovery

Circular Solutions for Biowaste - Demonstration and evaluation of innovative technologies for closing the cycle and recovering plant nutrients from biogenic waste (2017-2021)Period: 6/2017 - 11/2021

Funding: Funded in the research and innovation program HORIZON 2020 of the European Union

Project partner: Consortium of 15 partners and 7 EU countries www.systemicproject.eu

Goals:

1. On the basis of 5 demonstration plants in Europe, SYSTEMIC is showing for the first time how high-quality plant nutrients can be obtained from biowaste, liquid manure and solid manure through innovative recycling technologies and how ecologically and economically sustainable business models can be created. With the fiber plus system at BENAS, GNS represents one of the 5 demonstration locations and Germany.
2. SYSTEMIC also offers 10 European biogas plants the free evaluation of integrated recycling technologies with the aim of making the operation of the biogas plant more profitable, more stable, more sustainable and less dependent on subsidies.
3. The results of these investigations will be processed in case studies and concepts and for policy advice in order to disseminate intelligent solutions for the targeted recycling of plant nutrients from biogenic residues and waste materials throughout the EU so that agricultural and urban cycles can be closed sustainably.

Generation and use of high-quality materials from by-products of biogas plants (2015 - 2017)

Period: 3/2015 - 9/2017

Funding: Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in the top cluster BioEconomy

Project partners: GNS (network management), DBFZ German Biomass Research Center gGmbH - Leipzig (D), BENAS GmbH - Vorwerk (D), Kronospan GmbH - Lampertswalde (D), La Mont GmbH - Berlin (D), ORmatiC GmbH - Berlin (D), eutec ingenieure GmbH - Dresden (D), associated partner: KTG Energie AG - Hamburg (D)

Technical-scientific goals:

1. Utilization of the fiber-rich fractions from digestate as a wood substitute
2. Development and testing of special equipment for the FaserPlus process
3. Large-scale piloting of the FiberPlus process and use of biogas fibers in wood-based material production

Project results:

1. Testing of a pilot plant for 2 m³ / h throughput
2. Conversion of the large BENAS system into a fiber plus system with continuous operation since 10/2016
3. Tests and optimization of fiber usage at Kronospan
4. Deriving the ecological-economic evaluation of the overall system

Project partners:

• RUF GmbH & Co. KG, Zaisertshofen (D);
• Hartmut Wolf Schädlingsbekämpfung & Biobrennstoffe, Sermuth (D);
• Forschungs- und Beratungszentrums für Maschinen- und Energiesysteme, FBZ e.V., An-Institut der Hochschule Merseburg (D)

Development and testing of straw briquettes for use in log wood boilers under the scientific direction of GNS.
Biofuels on the basis of straw have been developed, manufactured and tested in field tests with emission measurements at small-scale furnaces.

Period: 2007 - 2009

Sponsor: Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, project support AiF eV, Berlin

Project partners:

• Nova-Institut GmbH, Hürth (D)
• Glunz AG, Meppen (D)
• BENAS GmbH, Vorwerk (D)
• SSM - Technology, Nauen (D)

Project partners:

• AIM Technical Solutions GmbH, Timelkam (A)
• Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, IFA Tulln (A)
• HIPI Ziviltechniker GmbH, Vöcklabruck (A)
• SSM - Technology, Nauen (D)