We develop the key enabling technologies for sustainability & circular economy. These technologies make it possible to close the anthropogenic material cycles of carbon, minerals and metals independently of fossil sources and energies.These technologies enable compact, efficient applications in energy, industry, research, and mobility for society in times of climate crisis.
Resource and Energy Efficiency
Resources and Energy Efficiency develops and evaluates resource- and energy-efficient
technologies and concepts for metal-, mineral- and carbon-rich resources, superconductive
energy applications, and energy-intensive industrial processes in order to contribute to a future climate-neutral (carbon-neutral) circular economy.
One of the keys for a sustainable future of human society will be the sustainable use of resources.
Yet, this is a particularly challenging task especially as resources and energy are inextricably linked in the circular economy (CE). The resources life cycle supplies all materials and feedstocks to meet society‘s need of primary (i.e. geogenic or biogenic) or secondary (i.e. end-of-life or anthropogenic) resources. This includes materials needed to establish and maintain the infrastructure of the renewable energy system of the future. In return, the energy system supplies the power to drive the global system of material flows. Beneficial interaction of these systems is especially necessary due to the inherently fluctuating nature of dominating renewable energy sources (i.e. sun and wind) requiring maximum flexibility and energy efficiency of energy intensive industries.
Today, Germany’s industrial sector is responsible for ca. 30 % of the national energy demand including more than 40 % of Germany’s electrical power consumption.
The Topic “Resource and Energy Efficiency” thus has its focus on the nexus between energy and resource systems, providing solutions for a sustainable CE within the context of an energy system based on renewable energy sources as stipulated by the UN Sustainable Development Goals #7, 11 and 12.
The topic has the goal to maximize resource and energy efficiency by, among others, closing raw material loops, using currently unutilized residues and wastes as resources while maximizing energy efficiency. This includes the embodied energy (i.e. exergy) of the infrastructure built to sustain society. In other words, waste creation will be minimized to the level that it makes techno-economic sense – while taking into account the hierarchical approach to waste (prevent, re-use, recycle, recover, disposal) in the Circular Economy package of the European Union.
Energy Efficiency Research for Industry was discussed by 250 participants at the Tagungswerk Berlin organized by accompanying research EE4InG and PTJ on behalf of BMWK.
Industrial Energy Research
3 key topics for 2050s energy system are highlighted by Thomas Jordan, Roland Dittmeyer & Dieter Stapf together with aspects of technology transfer & business start-ups.
Register HERE! JULY 6TH 2022
KIT's startup ICODOS, the Carbon CycleLab & NECOC provide solutions for circular economy of plastics, NET ZERO technology & efficient P2X technogy.
KIT news
International Energy Agency (IEA) 'Direct Thermochemical Liquefaction (DTL)' at IKFT for the coming three years 2022-2024.
About IEA Bioenergy Task34
were key topics of the visit of Harald Ebner, MP and Chairman of the Committee for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety & Consumer Protection at KIT.
with her work "Microalgae in the electric chair" on energy-efficient extraction of Alge Chlorella proteins using bioelectric methods.
website Foundation Energy & Climate Protection in German
New method developed at KIT: Electrical pulses can be used to extract high-quality nutrients from algae in an energy-efficient way
KIT news in German
chem. recycling of mixed plastic waste - currently non-recyclable on industrial scale. Pyrolysis oil to be used directly in industry. 1st industrial test plant at Industriepark Höchst...
PI Herrenknecht.com
Storage Research Infrastructure Eco-System, the 4 year H2020 project funded by EU Commission is led by KIT. Read the full...Press release
StoRIES website
Supervisors & students of all KIT faculties from energy research are invited to this event to learn about research topics, quali concept, & how to become active ENZo member
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...shows project results that are important for CO2 neutral Germany up to 2050. Net-Zero-2050 is intended to promote the public & political debate on CO2 neutrality on various levels.
https://atlas.netto-null.org/
9 MTET speakers/co-authors from KIT participate & show how fossil GHG emissions can be reduced to zero in 10-20 years including green H2 technologies.
FVEE website
EE4InG researchers, representatives from BMWi & Projektträger Jülich met for the final meeting at the ETA factory of TU Darmstadt.
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...serves qualification of young scientists & offers the opportunity for networking, scientific exchange of the latest results & progress in all areas along the biomass conversion chain.
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H2Mare, H2Giga, TransHyDE: Research to accelerate production, transport, and utilization of green hydrogen in the MTET program.
KIT news (in German)
Field tests show positive results for exhaust emissions - Life cycle assessment (LCA) shows significant CO2 reduction potential of reFuels
KIT press release (in German)
How we will move from A to B in a CO2-neutral way is a fundamental question for the future. The project "reFuels - rethinking fuels" is one of the building blocks to find a solution.
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The Special Issue deals with Circular Economy as a key topic in Chemical Reaction Engineering. A study shows how artificial neural networks are used to model the direct synthesis of DME.
more@ Chem. Ing. Tech.
KIT & UHOH research in a joint pilot plant - residual biomass can be refined into new materials & energy sources. The biorefinery farm aims at economic & sustainable tech solutions on site.
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Process plants of small and medium-sized enterprises could save costs and reduce their emissions with the help of artificial intelligence.
AI methods used @ bioliq facility
Scientists from UFZ Leipzig, FZ Jülich & KIT have presented research results on the bioeconomy to join forces in a network of future activities.
SOMA @UFZ Leipzig
Almuth Arneth, Christine Rösch & Jörg Sauer discussed the contributions of sustainable bioeconomy for a CO2-neutral society.
more @youtube @31:30 min
On 14.04.2021 | 10:30 - 10:55 we will present our most important exhibits on the topic "Energy Solutions" in a live stream. One of them is reFuels with news on renewable fuels (yt in 150s).
What is CO2-neutral mobility?
KIT scientists & Helmholtz colleagues are jointly investigating solar-based production pathways of H2 regarding required pressure & purity of various applications.
Closed cycles: Engineering plastic waste can first be converted into pyrolysis oil and then into new plastic materials.
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In München soll das längste Supraleiterkabel der Welt realisiert und wirtschaftlich eingesetzt werden. Das KIT ist an dem Projekt beteiligt.
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