The concept for the hub is being developed jointly by the Fraunhofer Institutes for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT), for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategy (IWKS).

Weigert said in Sulzbach-Rosenberg: »To counteract climate change, decarbonization of energy generation and defossilization of the raw materials sector are required. Both can only succeed through the transformation of the economy and society toward circular value creation systems and with the help of innovative technologies. Therefore, we support the forward-looking research initiative of Fraunhofer UMSICHT, IWKS and IGB. The three institutions have joined forces to form a powerful team to jointly launch a Bavarian hub for sustainable carbon technologies. Our support is a first step to enable the project partners to cooperate more intensively. We want to put Bavaria in a good starting position when the final allocation of sites for Circonomy Hubs is due.«

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Franke, Head of Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Sulzbach-Rosenberg branch of the institute added: »In the Circonomy Hub, we want to bring climate and carbon management technologies into application together with industry. Bavarian companies can use these themselves to meet their climate targets, but also to secure their raw material supply. Most importantly, they can become global technology providers. The market will grow significantly in the coming years.«

The Fraunhofer Circonomy Hub Initiative

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is currently planning to establish Circonomy Hubs throughout Germany in order to actively shape the energy and raw materials transformation in Germany. The hubs are to help to successfully manage the upcoming transformation processes in industry and society towards a circular economy.

The Fraunhofer Institutes UMSICHT in Sulzbach-Rosenberg, IGB in Straubing as well as IWKS in Alzenau are already cooperating with other Bavarian partners to conduct research and development for a sustainable carbon economy. This also involves the conception of a hub for Circular Carbon Technologies.

The focus is on the application-oriented coupling of energy and raw material processes, for example to tap non-fossil carbon sources, to recycle and bind carbon in products, and to integrate these technologies into existing energy and economic cycles.

The goal of the CCT Circonomy Hub is to establish demonstrators for a sustainable carbon economy in local application centers and then roll out the developed technologies for use in industry.