GreenEconomy.IN.NRW innovation competition

The project plans to bring together private and commercial customers, trade businesses, architectural firms, funding bodies and others on one platform. This platform provides targeted and individualized information on environmental projects, including their funding framework, and supports project preparation, implementation and communication in particular.

The aim of the project is to develop a digital passport for products made of "green steel" - in accordance with the "Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)", which will require this passport for all intermediate products made of iron, steel and non-ferrous metals in the EU in future.

The aim of the project is to further develop a process for upcycling textile waste from laundries with different material compositions and possibly containing contamination.

The project aims to reuse disused batteries from electric vehicles as stationary storage units. The aim is to test and classify the batteries so reliably that a performance and usage guarantee can be given for their future use as energy storage systems.

The project is pursuing a concept for data-based process optimization for treatment processes for contaminated media with perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). The focus is on the PerfluorAd process already available on the market. The aim is to further develop and optimize this process for broad application to various contaminated media.

The aim of the project is to develop a sorting method for non-destructive real-time analysis in the copper and aluminum industry. This goal is to be achieved with Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA).

The project aims to develop a process that enables the removal of various surface modifications such as plastics and textiles and thus prepares unmixed recyclates.

The project aims to drive forward the circular transformation of the office furniture/interiors industry and to redesign product and business model development with a holistic circular understanding in a collaborative and practice-oriented manner. The focus is on the operational design of a circular value creation network, from which product prototypes are created that conserve resources and are durable and circularly usable.

The project aims to develop an innovative, continuous process for the treatment of contaminated sediments, with which it has already been possible in laboratory tests to clean the sediments from the highest ecotoxicological pollution level 6 to the transferable level 2.

The project focuses on increasing sustainability and precision in winter road maintenance. For the first time, a real-world Internet of Things (IoT) system is to be implemented for those responsible so that a safe and precise decision can be generated for winter service operations. The IoT system should have a user-friendly, condensed real-time data situation and be able to digitize and store expert knowledge.

Insitu processes are used for PFAS remediation of groundwater. A frequently mentioned point of criticism regarding the suitability of these processes is the long-term handling of the PFAS-laden barriers after the remediation target or the adsorption capacity has been reached. In AquaCarb, a technological solution to this problem is to be identified in laboratory tests and tested in a pilot field trial.

The aim of InnoHLig is to develop an economically viable process concept for the technical use of lignins, as well as to verify the beneficial properties of lignin-based humic concentrates in application tests and the advantageous life cycle assessment of the process and the products via an environmental assessment.

The project deals with the utilization of (iron) phosphate recovered from wastewater and industrial fertilizers for the production of lithium iron phosphate for lithium-ion batteries.

The aim of the research project is to reduce the amount of nitrogen that accumulates at various points in the water cycle using biochar and also to determine a subsequent use for the disused filters.

In the "MisKaRe" project, the runoff formation processes and retention potential during heavy rainfall events are to be investigated using test areas planted with perennial renewable raw materials in the catchment area of the Erftverband in order to analyze and quantify the effect on the reduction of flood risks.

The project is aimed at the microbial production of products from the liamocins (Lia) and rhamnolipids (RL) group of substances. They are effective adjuvants for foliar fertilizers and replace substances that are difficult to degrade (e.g. EDTA) and synthetic surfactants with the same level of effectiveness. Accumulations in ecosystems and risks due to carcinogenicity are avoided. The project aims to determine the best combinations of both groups of active ingredients on crops and to optimize the production of RL and Lia from residual materials (lignocellulose, paper, PET).

The project is investigating two approaches to producing climate-positive building materials. The first approach aims to reduce the carbon footprint of building materials by incorporating carbonates into flowable concrete and masonry bricks. The second approach addresses the incorporation of gaseous carbon dioxide into masonry blocks through mineralization.

The aim of the project is to develop a knowledge-based foundation for the refurbishment of reverse osmosis (RO) modules through remanufacturing for use as NF or UF elements (refurbish + repurpose) or for material recycling.

The project deals with the development and implementation of reliable and meaningful dyke monitoring systems in order to proactively assess the condition of the dykes and take protective measures in good time.

The project is researching the identification and development of secondary raw material sources from non-battery EoL (End of Life) products and re-integration into LIB test cells with final performance evaluation and limit value testing.

The aim of the project is to develop a cost-effective inline probe for water analysis based on the functional principle of 2D fluorescence spectrometry. The real-time recording of these parameters enables new control and regulation processes for sewage treatment plants.

The aim of the project is to make allocation decisions based on sustainability aspects, such as measured CO2 emissions in processes or resource consumption in transportation, and to exchange this data between companies. The tool to be developed is to be made available to other companies as open source.

Persistent trace substances such as iopromide, carbamazepine or PFAS are more difficult - or impossible - to eliminate from wastewater using the established methods for trace substance elimination, activated carbon adsorption and ozonation, than with advanced oxidation processes (AOP) based on highly reactive OH radicals. The project is developing a new type of catalyst that allows activation with higher-wave radiation (AMO). This can increase the penetration depth into the water.

The aim of the project is to develop an app-supported planning tool that takes over the design and planning tasks for the implementation of energy-efficient and economical operation of logistics centers with battery-electric or fuel cell trucks, stationary storage systems, local energy and hydrogen generation plants and stabilizing grid connections.

The aim of the project is to test the local cultivation, production and technical development of plant-strengthening nettle extracts to promote the health of economically important crops in North Rhine-Westphalia that are acutely threatened by harmful pathogens and climate change.

The aim of the project is to improve the use of secondary raw materials in the production of non-ferrous metals through a life cycle assessment of raw materials and products based on a digital twin. This means that the project starts precisely where the greatest consumption of mostly electrical energy occurs: the production of non-ferrous metals based on primary raw materials.

The aim of the project is to make it much easier for SMEs to get involved in sustainability measures - in particular CO₂ reduction - and thus contribute to this reduction. The means to achieve this goal is a regional digital twin that enables companies to develop and implement measures in cooperation with other companies.

The aim of the project is to develop a software application to assess and prevent the risks of climate change for individual workplaces and for workforces in companies. Based on theoretical and empirical analyses - as well as in cooperation with the target group - an interdisciplinary network of science, practice and technology is to support occupational health and safety at company and inter-company level.

The aim of the project is to develop a holistic digital platform for integrated waste and recycling management between producers, waste disposal companies and authorities. All players are to be digitally networked, material flows and emptying orders are to be recorded automatically in a digital and standardized manner and emptying cycles and material flows are to be automated and optimized.

The aim of the research project "Sustainable large-scale industrial storage: second-life electric car batteries for grid stabilization" is to scale up Voltfang's existing concept for using second-life batteries from the automotive sector to provide scalable capacities of 900 kWh to 3.6 MWh in outdoor containers.

As part of the project, the project participants want to develop the industry-independent but cross-industry, modular and scalable dPP software toolkit "easy.dpp" and demonstrate its suitability for practical use. The aim is to make it "easy" for supplier companies that are currently overwhelmed by the topic of "digital product passports" (dPP) and the "circular economy" (CE).

The project aims to investigate the extent to which heavy rain hazard maps can be improved in terms of their informative value by using small-scale real data.
To this end, an IoT-based sensor system is to be set up in a pilot area that measures real-time data in the urban space, which is required as input data or modeling parameters for the heavy rain hazard maps.

The aim of the project is to establish a new, innovative analysis and monitoring system with integrative on-site analysis, an individual advisory concept and AI-supported infestation forecasting in order to provide farmers with recommendations for action to maintain plant health.

The main objective of the project is to combine the respective expertise of the four applicants in the field of solar thermal energy generation, the utilization of secondary material resources, innovative manufacturing processes and economic-ecological balancing into an innovative concept for using steel mill slags as secondary raw materials for ceramic components in concentrating solar power/thermal energy (CSP/T).

The aim of the potential project is to develop sustainable and durable surfacing materials using bio-foamed bitumen and recycled aggregates. The planned process also aims to reduce energy consumption.

The project aims to develop the prerequisites for the application of a physical-hydraulic barrier in the form of a Tesla valve in the field.
The project includes mapping the site conditions in the experimental setup, testing the hydraulic parameters and the ethohydraulic experiments with selected fish species in different runoff situations.

The aim of the project is to develop a model-based planning, simulation and training tool that supports project planning (design and planning) for the realization of climate-neutral and economical operation of vertical indoor farms (VIF) as part of the project vision for climate-neutral, circular and regional food production in NRW.

As part of the project, a generative tool is being developed with the aim of dynamizing static heavy rain hazard maps, which previously only took into account the existing buildings at the time of creation. The aim is to ensure transferability to any area and continuous updating.

The aim of the project is to develop an innovative digital system that will enable the autonomous operation of resource-saving recycling centers in Germany for the first time.
This is intended to counter the increasing amounts of "wild waste" and the growing volume of bulky waste.

The aim of the project is to reinforce biodegradable plastics in order to produce high-strength plastic molded parts that can be disposed of sustainably at the end of their product life.

The aim of the project is to set up a certificate trading platform as an innovative service on which suppliers and buyers of recyclate certificates can come together.