Press releases of the Fraunhofer IBP

A significant part of carpet waste consists of petroleum-based polypropylene. As a non-recyclable product, disposing of it has previously meant incineration or landfill. However, a new solvent is now making it possible to recover virgin-standard polypropylene from carpet waste — with no perceptible reduction in quality. Developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP and its partners, the process also involves costs that are quite competitive. The development has taken place as part of the ISOPREP EU project.

People who are required to serve a large number of customers at a checkout or counter are at a particularly high risk of exposure to COVID-19. At the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP, a type of air lock was therefore developed to shield work stations from the surrounding air using constant ventilation. This “protective canopy” will be unveiled to the public from January 13 to 15, 2021, at the online BAU trade fair.

As healthy and tasty as mushrooms might be, they are good for much more than just the dinner plate. The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT has now teamed up with the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP to investigate the use of fungus-based materials for the fabrication of eco-friendly sound absorbers.

Restaurant owners are increasingly turning to fired charcoal grills to prepare meals for customers – but the odors and fumes emitted by these grills are often a source of irritation for nearby residents. The German Environment Agency asked a team of researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP to investigate whether the exhaust air treatment systems used in grills actually get the job done and to study ways of preventing pollutant and odor emissions.

The project “Primordial Cities” developed by the internationally renowned philosopher and conceptual artist Jonathon Keats is based on the first communities that lived on Earth - so-called stromatolite cities, inhabited by primitive microbes. Together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP and based on research work by the scientists and their experience from urban climate projects, the experimental philosopher has developed an innovative urban scenario that takes a completely new approach and revolutionizes urban planning concepts by considering the changing climate. From 12 December onwards, the project is on show in an exhibition at the STATE Studio in Berlin.

In close cooperation with German and Vietnamese partners, over the next three years the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP will set up research facilities in Hanoi to lay the foundations for local research on building materials. This will not only enable Vietnam to implement much higher building standards but also help manufacturers to adapt their building materials and building systems to the demanding local tropical climate and to develop new products. At a kick-off conference in Hanoi on 10 October, the project CAMaRSEC (Climate-Adapted Material Research for the Socio-Economic Context in Vietnam), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), was launched.