Fraunhofer UMSICHT
Fraunhofer UMSICHT is one of 76 institutes in the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, a world leading organisation for applied research, based in Germany. Since 2017 the Birmingham Energy Institute and Fraunhofer UMSICHT have combined academic expertise with the skills to translate cutting-edge research into industrial technology that delivers new approaches to energy and waste management, and addresses the practical challenges of delivering green energy and renewable resources.
Renewable energies, but also the transformation to sustainable, emission-free raw materials, especially carbon - these are the challenges facing the industry today. Our application-orientated research in the fields of carbon conversion, recycling, biofuels and CCU / CCUS dovetail perfectly with the cutting-edge research in Birmingham to meet these demands.
Our collaboration
With our global community consuming more energy than ever before, the demand for energy is rising. But this increasing demand is occurring at a time when climate change and the use of fossil fuels is a growing concern.
To meet these growing challenges, the scope of our collaboration has also grown to include:
- Carbon capture and utilisation
- Renewable energy
- Heat storage
- Hydrogen production and utilisation
- Critical elements and materials
- and polymers recycling/chemical recycling.
We are proud of the great work achieved by our partnership. As our global community consumes ever-increasing amounts of energy, collaborative research that helps to deliver green and sustainable energy becomes ever-more important. We look forward to aligning the University Â鶹¾«Ñ¡â€™s flair for research innovation with Fraunhofer UMSICHT’s applied research expertise to extend our partnership across a range of areas of shared interest that will help to change people’s lives for the better.
Spotlight on Tyseley Energy Park
The practical impact of our partnership can be seen at Tyseley Energy Park where a research hub based on Thermo-Catalytic Reforming (TCR®) technology works to convert biogenic residues into liquid energy carriers and chemicals. The technology was developed by Professor Andreas Hornung, Senior Expert Bioeconomy at Fraunhofer Umsicht and Emeritus Professor, University Â鶹¾«Ñ¡.
Funded through Research England’s International Investment Initiative (I3) programme, the hub links to the creation of a technology transfer centre in China in partnership with Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute (JITRI) in Birmingham’s sister city of Nanjing. It will see researchers develop new technologies such as energy storage solutions – allowing renewable power to be available ‘on tap’ – as well as energy sources and biofuels created from waste.
In the future, the collaboration will look to progress a chain of commercial-scale thermo-catalytic reforming plants around the city Â鶹¾«Ñ¡. This concept has been called the ‘Thermal Belt‘. If developed, the technology will have the potential to transform the way that we think about waste and energy, and start providing a solution to the growing demand for clean energy and fuels on a global scale.
Engage with us
If you are a Birmingham Academic interested in engaging with the Birmingham-Fraunhofer UMSICHT partnership, please contact energy@contacts.bham.ac.uk