Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT (Fraunhofer UMSICHT) is an applied research institute within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, based in Oberhausen, Germany, with additional sites in Sulzbach-Rosenberg and Willich. The institute develops practical technologies and methods for environmental protection, resource efficiency, and safe, reliable energy and process systems, working from laboratory research through pilot-scale demonstration.
Core competencies span the circular economy and sustainable chemistry, including plastics and polymer systems, chemical and mechanical recycling, solvent-based purification, and bio‑based materials. UMSICHT also focuses on process and reactor engineering (such as thermal conversion, pyrolysis and gasification), separation and membrane technologies, energy systems and storage, power‑to‑chemicals and hydrogen pathways, as well as digitalization, safety engineering, and risk management. Services include material and process development, scaling and operation of pilot plants, analytics and testing, life‑cycle and techno‑economic assessments, and regulatory and implementation support. The institute collaborates with partners across the chemical, energy, waste and recycling, and manufacturing sectors to advance climate and resource goals and to translate research into industrial practice.
Transforms blast‑furnace CO₂ and renewable hydrogen into chemicals and fuels; moving from Duisburg demonstration to industrial scale and a SAF plant.
Three-year, €4.371m consortium will design headlamps for circularity using recyclable polycarbonates, AI-driven robotic dismantling and digital twins to enable industrial-scale plastics recycling.
A 2kt/year pilot plant will recycle polyurethane foam into high-purity aniline for MDI, reducing carbon footprint by up to 40%. Operational by 2028, it targets hard-to-recycle rigid foam.
