Fraunhofer IGB develops energy-efficient carbon capture and industrial drying technologies

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB) are developing new technologies to decarbonize industrial processes through more efficient carbon capture and drying methods.

In the SAFE-CO2 project, a consortium including the University of Saarland and ZSW is developing polymer-based membrane adsorbers. These thermoresponsive membranes are designed to capture CO2 from air and exhaust gases more economically by maintaining low pressure drops and requiring minimal regeneration heat, addressing the high energy demands of current chemical binding methods.

Simultaneously, the LowCarbDry project aims to replace energy-intensive hot-air drying with superheated steam at atmospheric pressure. Working with industrial partners Evonik Operations GmbH and the Pergande Group, researchers are combining this method with heat pumps and smart controls. This approach seeks to shift industrial drying from fossil gas to renewable electricity, potentially reducing energy consumption by a factor of two to four.