Magazine

ELECTROCHEMICAL RECOVERY OF CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS FROM WASTEWATER | The efficient recovery of critical raw materials from batteries and production waste is a major challenge for the modern battery industry. In the MeGaBat project, we are developing a sustainable, cost-effective, and low-emission technology for the electrochemical recovery of lithium, cobalt, and other critical raw materials from aqueous sources (wastewater) to solid production waste. Our goal: to establish a flexible, scalable process that advances the circular economy in the battery industry and contributes new concepts for the further development of urban mining.

EFFICIENT COOLING FOR HIGH-SPEED DRIVES | Fuel cell systems place high demands on air path components, as a reliable supply of oxygen to the stack is critical to performance. Electric air compressors, in particular, must reach high speeds, which leads to significant heat generation and can affect the system’s efficiency and service life. At Fraunhofer IFAM, an electric air compressor with integrated internal liquid cooling was therefore developed. Thanks to a specifically designed cooling system, the heat generated can be dissipated directly in the rotor via the shaft, thereby avoiding critical temperature ranges. The goal is to significantly increase the power density and reliability of fuel cell systems while ensuring safe operation at high speeds.

With the UAS L USSP HB project, a prototype system for a future U Space Service Provider (USSP) is being developed in Bremen. As a central entity, the USSP enables the safe and efficient integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into existing air traffic in accordance with EU Regulations 2019/945, 2019/947, and 2021/664. The goal of the project is to prepare the UAS Control Center Bremen for certification readiness.

Fraunhofer IFAM is pursuing two focal points in the field of electric drives: Firstly, the transformation of development processes and secondly, manufacturing innovations for electric drives.

PROJECT »TRANSPORTATION IN CHARGE« | In the project "Transportation in Charge", experts from Fraunhofer IFAM are developing concepts for the future planning of charging infrastructure in commercial areas and freight villages. The project aims to gain a better understanding of the demands for public and private charging infrastructure and to identify possible synergy effects through its shared use, thus ensuring the efficient utilization of this cost-intensive infrastructure.

QUALITY ASSURANCE AND GALVANIC CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS FOR IMPLANT MATERIALS | Many properties of implant materials, e.g. biocompatibility, cell adhesion, wetting behavior and corrosion, depend to a large extent on the chemical and morphological structure of the surface. With the aid of quality assurance concepts for the evaluation of surface properties, it is possible to gain detailed knowledge of these; thus, possible damage to health can be avoided. Fraunhofer IFAM provides support in this area and, with its extensive knowledge of surface technology (e.g. also in wet chemistry), can, among other things, create innovative process-oriented development concepts to improve the properties of implant materials.

The aim of the Rapid-KI project is to develop control concepts for the local decoating of encapsulated or protective-coated electronic components. For this purpose, sensor data are collected, evaluated by means of AI and used for a highly dynamic real-time control of the laser processes in order to enable innovative recycling and repair concepts. The high flexibility and scalability of the laser technology also allows subsequent transferability of the development to a wide variety of application fields, e.g. decoating in the wind energy sector, ship, rail and aircraft construction as well as repair applications in the field of e-mobility.

The transformation of natural gas supply is a key component of the heating transition. In the "Quarter by Quarter" project, Fraunhofer IFAM is investigating how existing energy infrastructures can be systematically decarbonized and made fit for the future, as natural gas supply must be transformed in line with the goal of climate neutrality by 2045.