Press and Media

The Estonian deep-tech startup New Standard Oil has integrated thermal biomass valorisation approaches, including those from Fraunhofer UMSICHT, into a unified modular platform and launched its first industrial prototype. The goal is to convert currently unused biowaste streams across Europe into valuable renewable products.

Fraunhofer UMSICHT is responsible for the chemical recycling aspect of the KOLLEKT joint research project. At it's Sulzbach-Rosenberg site UMSICHT is developing a pyrolysis process that converts plastic waste from end-of-life vehicles – which is no longer suitable for mechanical recycling – into basic chemicals for new plastics. The focus is on components containing polycarbonate and mixed plastic fractions from headlamps.

​​​​Materials manufacturer Covestro and the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT have signed a contract to operate a 2kt per year pilot plant for smart pyrolysis of rigid polyurethane foam waste. The plant will be operational by 2028.

A major European research initiative coordinated by Fraunhofer UMSICHT has been launched to develop integrated solutions for textile waste recycling. The AUTOLOOP project aims to create a comprehensive system that could process 1.24 million tonnes of textile waste annually by 2050, whilst potentially creating over 130,000 green jobs across the EU. This project aims to develop, test and integrate automated sorting, tracing, and closed-loop recycling technologies for polyester-based textiles (NRT), addressing the pressing challenge of textile waste management.

Interactive map by Fraunhofer shows 2.8 Mt/a planned capacity but only 0.29 Mt/a operational. Pyrolysis dominates the project pipeline (1.68 Mt/a planned), while larger gasification plants remain unbuilt. Three solvent-based/solvolysis plants deliver 27 kt/a in operation.