Projects in the Thematic Area
There are 25 results.
ReNew PV - Coating to increase the service life of PV modules with damaged backsheets
The ReNew PV project focuses on the development of lifetime-extending coating solutions for the backsheets of PV modules. The focus is on a protective coating to restore the electrical resistance and on the repair of cracked or mechanically damaged backsheets.
CircularFood - High-quality products through cascading recycling cycles of residual materials from the food industry
The CircularFood project investigates the material and energetic cascading use of organic food residues from Austrian food production. The aim is to develop innovative processes for the extraction of high-quality protein components, liquid biofertilizers, organic plant substrates and peat substitutes in order to promote the circular economy and reduce CO2 emissions.
Circular Economy Compass (KLW-Komp)
The Circular Economy Compass project will develop a responsive online self-assessment tool for the circular economy in SMEs. Based on a theory-based evaluation scheme, it will be possible to determine a company's degree of preparedness for a circular economy at a reasonable cost. To this end, the tool has a computational logic that automatically generates a circularity score (KPI, Key Performance Indicator) based on the answers.
NNATT - Sustainable use of excavated materials from civil engineering and tunnelling using sensor-based technologies
The holistic system developed in the NNATT project for the sustainable utilisation of excavated materials starts with the geology and extends through the construction process to recycling. With the help of sensor-based real-time analyses and an AI-supported decision matrix, excavated materials are separated and further developed into customised products.
CEPAM – Circular Economy Powder for Additive Manufacturing
In the CEPAM research project, a recycling process for high-quality metal powders for additive manufacturing is developed. Various methods of energy input are being evaluated for energy efficiency, scalability and powder quality and built up on a pilot scale. The recycled metal powder is characterized and processed in the Laser Powder Bed Fusion process. In order to compare the mechanical properties of the printed components, parts are printed from both new and recycled powder.
CircularBioMat – Recyclable biogenic materials for building installations and supply equipment
As part of CircularBioMat, numerous bio‐based materials – including bio‐polymers reinforced with natural fibers as well as recycled materials – are being tested for their suitability as a replacement for the petroleum‐based polymers that dominate technical building installations (TGA) and supply equipment.
CycLR - Paint recycling and utilization of components
The CycLR project aims to implement a circular economy for water-based paints. A recycling process that enables the valorisation of recyclates is being developed, taking into account all parties involved in the value chain.
RE-FORM earth - Earth Building for Building Sector Transformation
In order to promote the use of earth, the RE-FORM earth project is creating a planning basis for the construction of structures and buildings containing earth. In order to counter uncertainties regarding the health effects of earth building materials, a comprehensive program is being carried out to investigate radiation exposure and potential pollutants in earth. By erecting a temperature-controlled rammed earth wall in a test room with subsequent measurements, the aim is to determine the extent to which the material can contribute to healthy indoor air due to its moisture-regulating properties and help to balance out energy peaks.
RE:STOCK INDUSTRY - Digital framework for the circular reuse of existing structures for vertical production
RE:STOCK INDUSTRY is developing AI-based Scan-to-FEM methods, vertical 3D production concepts, and an interactive AR application for precise capturing, modelling, and analysis of industrial buildings' load-bearing structures. The aim is to determine the potential of the structure for reuse, modernization, and vertical expansion, considering aspects of circular economy.
KAFKA - Development of cascade reactions for a circular economy
KAFKA aims to expedite the development of biorefinery processes and showcase the potential of process cascades for producing high-quality chemical products from biogenic resources/waste. The central element of the project is an innovative reactor platform that flexibly combines biotechnological, electrochemical, and thermal processes. Investigations into new process cascades to enable a circular economy are thereby accelerated.
Circular Design - Getting from theory into practice
The project aims to provide recommendations for areas of action and measures that should promote the widespread use of circular design in Austria. For this purpose, the status quo of circular design in Austria is surveyed based on the circular design rules, obstacles for implementation are identified and best practice examples are presented.
AGreeNew - New biobased products of the agricultural biorefinery
AGreeNew aims to expand the product portfolio of the agricultural biorefinery. Sour whey, farm manure and green silage will be used as raw materials to produce biosurfactants, fertilizers and protein-rich animal feed. The production processes of these valuable products will be assessed in terms of sustainability and economic potential.
CICA - Chlorella in circular aquaculture
Project CICA allows the detailed investigation of fish wastewater and its treatment by algae cultivation, as well as the design and construction of a special photobioreactor to purify wastewater and produce fish at the same time.
Road-to-Road/ Verschränkung neuartiger Methoden zur effizienten „Road-to-Road“ Inwertsetzung von Altasphalt
The planned combination of experimental and model-based methods for assessing/describing the behavior of asphalt shall enable the goal-oriented optimization of the performance/durability of recycled asphalt, with the resulting positive effects (CO2 balance, transport distances, landfill volume) being quantified within the project.
UPTextIL - Upcycling cellulose from used textiles into high-strength filaments using spinning technology in ionic liquids
The aim of the project is to develop a process for spinning cellulose from used textiles using ionic liquids, to analyze potential impurities in this recycling material stream, and to develop strategies for their removal or avoidance during the spinning process. The project aims to lay the foundations for closing the material cycle of cellulose from used textiles.
OPENing Re-Use – Optimal planning decisions in the re-use sector
In an operational context, companies in the circular economy are faced daily with the question of whether a used product should be repaired, remanufactured, refurbished or recycled. The decision on what to do with used products is fraught with a great deal of uncertainty and must be made on a case-by-case basis - product-individually and depending on factors such as brand, condition, age, demand or recycling possibilities. As part of the "OPENing Re-Use" project, a business planning tool is being developed to support companies in their re-use planning, thereby increasing the efficiency of re-use processes and making re-use activities even more competitive with the purchase of new products.
Earth movement: Clay - a climate- and resource-friendly building material
Manufacturing processes and transport of building materials are energy-intensive and cause high CO2emissions. In addition, many building materials pose a health and disposal problem due to their content of disruptive and harmful substances. Locally available clay can replace conventional materials if appropriately prepared and processed, and helps to save both manufacturing processes and transport routes.
DiRecT – Direct recycling and upcycling of titanium chips
In the project DiRecT, different new technologies will be developed and evaluated which make it possible to directly recycle the chips generated in the manufacturing process of high-quality titanium products or to produce directly from the chips near-net-shape components or improved semi-finished products (upcycling).
Hemp Ski, Recyclable ski manufacturing from hemp, bio-resin and waste streams
In industrial production for alpine skis, epoxy resins of fossil origin and pre-impregnated glass fiber reinforcements are processed today. Innovations that replace environmentally critical materials in skis with biogenic substitute materials with an improved environmental balance have so far been limited to the production of small series. This circumstance motivated the consortium to develop a solution for a circular bioeconomy with the HempSki project, which will also make industrial ski production from renewable raw materials and waste streams possible in the future.
EdeN - Efficient decentralized sustainable food production
In the EdeN project, a decentralized vertical farming concept is extended to meet circular economy requirements. The combination of vertical farming with closed energy-, resource- and distribution-loops is a possible disruptive concept in food production. The developed concepts will be accessible and transferable to other food producers, and its limitations will be pointed out.