Press releases of the Fraunhofer IBP

“Fume events” occur when fluids such as engine oil or hydraulic fluid contaminate the air inside an airplane cabin via the “bleed air” used for air supply and conditioning. Measurements taken in flight do not allow for determination of whether the air quality on board is negatively affected as a result. With the Bleed Air Contamination Simulator (BACS), researchers at the Fraun-hofer Institute for Building Physics IBP can artificially simulate fume events on the ground, deliberately contaminating the air inside the testing unit with oils and deicing fluids and then studying the polluted air. The results can be used to make inferences about potential health risks.

A universal modular construction system: In the BAU-DNS flagship project, seven Fraunhofer institutes are developing innovative methods for the sustainable, modular and circular refurbishment of existing buildings, aimed at industry and small and medium-sized enterprises. They will be presenting recent findings and solutions at the BAU 2025 trade show in Munich from January 13 to 17.

Times remain challenging for the construction industry: the ongoing climate change with its extreme weather events, the growing scarcity of the resources needed to manufacture key building materials, as well as rising building costs, urgently call for new solutions. At the BAU 2025 trade fair, which is taking place in Munich from January 13 to 17, 2025, Fraunhofer IBP will be presenting innovative products and system solutions as part of a special exhibition titled “Mission for the future of building – affordable.sustainable.safe” at the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance booth (Hall C2, Booth 528).

Cutting carbon emissions by more than two-thirds with consistently high quality: Specialists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP are working on future ways to manufacture the popular construction material with as little climate impact as possible. They will be showcasing their solutions at the BAU trade show in Munich from January 13 to 17, 2025.

Under the motto "Mission for the future of building affordable.sustainable.safe", from January 13 to 17, 2025, the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance will be presenting innovations as part of its special exhibition at the BAU 2025 trade fair in three key areas of transformation in the construction industry: sustainability, productivity and resilience. The exhibits will be on display in and around a two-story Innovation Cube in Hall C2, Booth 528. The Innovation Cube is a symbolic building for demonstrating the latest smart solutions both for the building envelope and for the interior.

In Germany, there are around three million buildings that are contaminated with the toxic wood preservatives lindane and pentachlorophenol (PCP). Previous measures for minimizing contamination include insulating contaminated areas or disposing of treated wooden building materials as hazardous waste. However, these measures are neither sustainable nor cost-efficient. In the CycloPlasma project, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP are developing a new type of process to remove these decades-old contaminants — in the air as well as in contaminated wooden structures — in a way that is residue-free, sustainable and does not pose a health risk. For this purpose, the scientists have combined an innovative adsorber material with plasma technology.

The number of incidents involving damaged electronic devices on board aircraft has increased in recent years. Most of these are caused by lithium-ion batteries, which are found in laptops and other portable electronic devices. In the LOKI-PED project, the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI and the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP are collaborating with Airbus to assess the fire and smoke risks associated with lithium-ion batteries in cockpits and cabins. The objective is to make it safer to use portable devices on board.

The plaster and mortar used in facades often contain heavy metals and biocides that leach out and and infiltrate into the soil when it rains. The Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP has created a model that combines measurements of the substances that leach out with regional meteorological data. This creates a precise forecast that can be used at the planning stage to determine the type and amount of substances that could be released from facade materials when it rains. This complex project was a collaborative effort alongside universities and numerous partners from industry.

As climate change progresses, extreme weather events such as prolonged hot spells, storms and heavy rain are occurring ever more frequently, and cities are feeling the strain. The new urban climate model PALM-4U will allow municipal staff and city planners to simulate the effects of their planned construction projects on the urban climate, so that they can gauge the consequences of extreme weather events before they happen, improve quality of life in urban areas and protect the health of the sick and the elderly. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP created the user interface for the simulator, putting their many years of expertise in fields such as hygrothermics and indoor climate to good use.

In order to implement sustainable production, sustainable consumption and circular economy in practice, both systemic and technical solutions are required. According to an idea of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, these solutions are to be created in so-called CIRCONOMY® Hubs. These are Germany-wide networks that bring together partners from science, industry, associations and society to focus on a specific area. Two of these networks have already started their work: the hubs "Material Cycles in the Construction Sector" and "Circular Carbon Technologies CCT".