The German Aerospace Center (DLR) opened the Institute of_{Low CO2} Industrial Processes in Zittau yesterday, March 10, 2021. It has issued the following press release.

Research for environmentally friendly production facilities

How can industrial processes be designed to produce fewer harmful greenhouse gases? And how can existing plants be adapted so that they can meet the challenges of decarbonization? This is what the Institute of Low CO2 Industrial Processes at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is researching. The Zittau site of the new institute was officially opened with a virtual event on March 10, 2021. In addition to this site in Saxony, another is being built in Cottbus (Brandenburg).

The DLR is thus expanding its expertise in the field of energy research in the Lusatia region. The aim is to significantly reduce carbon dioxide (_CO2) and pollutant emissions from industrial plants and power stations. The work concentrates on decarbonization in industrial sectors that have a high demand for energy. At the same time, there is a focus on the efficient use and storage of sustainably generated electricity.

Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer says:

Cooperation with universities and industry

The DLR Institute of_{Low CO2} Industrial Processes supports regional science and industry in the development of new technologies. In this way, it can actively contribute to structural change in the region and help to create jobs. Intensive cooperation with the universities in Zittau/Görlitz and Cottbus-Senftenberg already exists, as does cooperation with local industrial companies. This ensures a transfer of knowledge from basic research to applied research for industrial use.

The location in Zittau is planning for 60 employees in the long term. Since the institute was officially founded by the DLR Senate in June 2019, they have been working on the premises of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and are expected to move to the Mandauhöfe in Zittau in June. A hall has been rented to set up a research facility. In the next few years, a new building with a large test hall for the institute is to be built near the university library in Zittau.

Use of steam and regeneratively produced hydrogen

Research in Zittau concentrates on the two key areas of "high-temperature heat pumps" and "low-carbon reducing agents". The third focus, "Simulation and Virtual Design", is located at the Cottbus site. The development of new types of high-performance heat pumps focuses on the provision of_CO2-neutral high-temperature process heat. The large demand from industry is currently mainly covered by fossil fuels. High-temperature process heat is essential in the food industry, the paper industry, the chemical industry and in vehicle construction, for example. The challenge here is to generate heat efficiently from renewable electricity. The research facility in Zittau, for example, works with water or steam.

Hydrogen plays a central role in the research area of "low-carbon reducing agents": this involves investigating how processes can be converted in such a way that process-related_{CO2 emissions} are avoided. This could be achieved by using regeneratively produced hydrogen or, in some cases, waste biomass.