Fraunhofer IGB develops and optimizes processes, products and technologies for the business fields health, chemistry and process industry as well as environment and energy. IGB offers its customers complete solutions from market analysis and research to application-ready development. IGB combines the highest scientific quality with professional know-how in its fields of competence – always with a view to economic efficiency and sustainability. The interdisciplinary exchange between the five R&D departments in Stuttgart and the institutes in Leuna and Straubing also promotes innovation.
For many years, the Interfacial Engineering and Materials Science department of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB has been developing organic and inorganic specific adsorber particles (SPAs) for the separation of minor components (impurities or recyclables). The Fraunhofer IGB holds two relevant patents for adsorber particles and their use in vegetable oils (DE 10 2007 061 436, DE 100 31 859). The adsorber particles are integrated into new process concepts for material separation. They are applied to polymer fillers or integrated into membranes as a selective layer.
Fraunhofer IGB is very well equipped in the field of analytics and measurement methods, in particular for the characterization of particles and material surfaces. In addition to standard analytical methods – such as dynamic light scattering, HPLC or GPC analysis – Fraunhofer IGB’s surface analytics has an extensive range of highly specialized methods, processes and equipment at its disposal. Chemical properties (e.g. element and surface composition), physical properties (e.g. specific surface, layer thickness and wetting properties) and morphological properties (e.g. roughness and topography) can be measured on surfaces and interfaces, thin layers, powders, particles and membranes.