Research at Fraunhofer WKI – Renewable Resources in Material Development

B. Kasal
Fraunhofer Institute of Wood Research,
Germany

Keywords: Sustainable building, wood, renewable resources

Summary:

Fraunhofer Gesellschaft with over 30,000 employees and a budget of over 3 Billion Euros is one of the largest applied-research organizations in Europe. The Fraunhofer Wilhelm Klauditz Institute (WKI) for wood research, one of the 72 Fraunhofer Institutes, celebrated 75th anniversary this year. The institute, one of the largest in the world, is dealing with development of materials and technologies based on renewable resources, mainly lignocellulosic (plant-based). The research portfolio includes classical fiber- and particle-based materials, bioplastics, concrete-wood and concrete-natural fiber materials, insulation materials, foams, adhesives and coatings, fire coatings, as well as indoor air quality and emission measurements. The applications include building-, chemical-, wood- and automotive industries, among others. The seminar will introduce the research portfolio of the WKI and several examples of newly developed materials and technologies will be presented.