Our research group "Industrial Plant Design and Application of Digital Methods" acts as an international research partner for a sustainable utilization of biogenic raw materials and residual resources for the reduction of fossil carbon utilization. Hereby, we activly contribute to a sustainable development of our society. We provide competence for technology development by the use of our experimental infrastructure as well as advanced digital methods. We transfer know-how via academic teaching as well as via cooperative research projects together with our industrial partners. We form the foundation for important decisions in industry and politics. We offer deep know-how in the field of thermo-chemical uitlization of solid fuels and accompany the design and optimization of industrial plants. We offer our research team an international competitive development enviroment for the personal and academic career. We act as at team and contribute valueable solutions to major challenges of our time with reliability and pioneering spirit.

Two project groups are currently working on different issues:

  • The project group "Sustainable Fuels" is working on research projects in the field of fuel conversion by means of gas generation for the production of sustainable energy carriers such as hydrogen and synthetic natural gas (SNG).
  • The project group "Carbon Capture Technologies" is researching efficient CO2-capture from point sources and also via direct air capture, as well as gaining CO2 with high degrees of purity. The aim is to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere.

Core Competencies

Modeling, simulation, and validation of plants and industrial processes with regard to energy efficiency and the replacement of fossil fuels with sustainable fuels.

Synthetic biofuels—such as SNG/methane, Fischer-Tropsch diesel, hydrogen, mixed alcohols, and various basic chemicals—are produced from agricultural and industrial waste materials, including chicken manure, bark, lignin, olive pomace, sewage sludge, and the light fraction of shredded waste.

We are conducting intensive research into technologies for CO2 capture and its reuse as a raw material. Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies can make a significant contribution to achieving the Paris Agreement climate goals. Our research group on Industrial Plant Design and Application of Digital Methods focuses on Direct Air Capture and Storage (DACCS) and Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) as key components of future carbon management. The solutions in the areas of chemical looping processes and Direct Air Capture (DAC) have already reached a high technology readyness level.

Our research area has decades of expertise in the application and further development of fluidized bed processes. This includes:

  • Optimization of the process chain: production, purification, and treatment of product gas
  • A wide range of suitable feedstocks, such as biomass, residues, and waste
  • A wide range of applications, such as the paper industry, steel industry—iron ore reduction, agriculture, etc.— and considerations for reasonable and effective integration into existing cycles and processes
  • Adaptation of the fluidized bed system to specific requirements; most recently, a research focus has been placed on two-bed fluidized bed processes