Fraunhofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKS
Our Research
Fraunhofer IWKS aims to contribute to a sustainably healthy planet. Its research focuses on establishing a closed circular economy: today's waste is tomorrow's resource. Valuable raw materials can be recovered and recycled or replaced by sustainable, environmentally and socially compatible alternatives. For this purpose, innovative processes are being developed in the fields of magnetic materials, energy materials, bioeconomics as well as digitalisation of resources.. The results of the research are transferred to industry.
The Fraunhofer IWKS team researches and works at two locations: Alzenau (Bavaria) and Hanau (Hesse). With more than 90 employees from the fields of environmental management, process engineering, materials science, industrial engineering, (micro) biology, ecotrophology, chemistry and physics, the institute relies on an interdisciplinary research approach.
Well connected
In addition to the management of Fraunhofer IWKS, Prof. Dr. Anke Weidenkaff is also Head of the Department of Materials Engineering and Resource Management at the Technical University of Darmstadt. Fraunhofer IWKS also maintains excellent networks with other universities, Fraunhofer institutes and other research institutions as well as with industrial companies, thus ensuring application-oriented cutting-edge research.