Reference projects

Funding: EU || Duration: February 2015 – July 2018 || The project “SteamBio”, which is coordinated by Fraunhofer IGB, aims to provide stable, densified feedstock for the process industries by upgrading lignocellulosic biomass (e.g. agro-forestry residues from remote rural sources) through a flexible superheated steam torrefaction and grinding process mounted on mobile units.

Funding: BMWI, PtJ || Duration: January 2019 – September 2022 || The SynLink research project deals with the production of renewable fuels, such as methanol or long-chain hydrocarbons. This means considering the entire value chain from both a technical and an economic perspective – from production of synthesis gas using renewable electrical energy and carbon dioxide, and its subsequent chemocatalytic conversion into fuel, right through to practical application tests on cars and trucks – and demonstrating that a technology readiness level (TRL) of 5–6 has been achieved. Within the project, Fraunhofer CBP was tasked with carrying out long-term experiments for methanol production on a pilot scale with a TRL of 5–6.

Funding: EU || Duration: June 2018 – May 2021 || The UNRAVEL project aims to develop advanced pre-treatment, separation and conversion technologies for complex lignocellulosic biomass. The technology relies on pre-extraction, fractionation using low-temperature acetone and subsequent downstream processing to isolate and convert the lignocellulosic constituents into high-value applications. This will produce usable lignin fragments and monomeric sugars from the cellulose along with a hemicellulose fraction suitable for biochemical conversions.

Funding: BMEL || Duration: August 2019 – December 2021 || Using a hydrothermal process, xylan can be extracted from beech wood. At Fraunhofer CBP, this process was scaled to the 500-liter scale and combined with the ethanolic Organosolv extraction process to additionally extract the lignin and fiber fractions, thus enabling the material use of all wood components. By way of this sequential processing, xylan and lignin can be obtained in a previously unavailable high-purity quality, making applications in the pharmaceutical industry or as food supplements possible.