Laboratories, plants and technical equipment

Cutting-edge technologies and extensive, modern equipment are indispensable to our scientific work – and an added benefit for you as our customer. Our laboratories are designed for work up to biological safety level S2. A new building commissioned in 2017 has, among other things, roll-to-roll coating plants and technical centers for aseptic work (foodstuffs), for the treatment of process (waste) water as well as for wastewater and sludge treatment on a pilot scale.

• Molecular-biological laboratories conforming to safety levels L2, S1 and S2 of the German GenTSV (genetic engineering safety regulations)
• Microarray facility, universal microarray platform
• Quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR LightCycler 480)
• High-throughput DNA parallel sequencing facility for nucleic acid analysis (Illumina HiSeq2000, Roche Junior)
• Proteomics facility using high-resolution MS technologies (2D gel electrophoresis, nano-LC-MALDI-TOF / TOF, HPLC-ESI-MS / ​MS)
• Plants for protein purification

• Photolithography
• Microfluidics laboratories
• Cell culture laboratories for working with stem cells
• Fermentation plant for suspension and adherent cell cultures up to 10 liters of non-GLP
  
• Fluorescence microscopy with high-speed camera
• Confocal resolution fluorescence microscopy

Fermentation, bioreactors

• Multi-fermentation plants for bioprocess development, and fermenters (up to 40 liters), S2 / L2
• Cell disruption equipment (ball mills, high-pressure autoclave, etc.)
• Bioreactors for aqueous, high solids and gaseous substrates including cell retention on laboratory, pilot and technical scale
  Fermentation capacities of 10/100/300/1000 and 10,000 liters, equipment for downstream processing of fermentation products
• Reactors for enzymatic processes up to 1000 liters
• Analytics for substrates and fermentation products, protein analytics, online mass spectrometry
  

• Photobioreactors of various sizes with proprietary control and automation concepts for lab, outdoor and greenhouse applications
• Test facilities for cell disruption and extraction with solvents and supercritical fluids

Stuttgart

• Mobile pilot plants for on-site feasibility investigations and demonstrations, for example for drying with overheated steam  

Franhofer CBP, Leuna

• Pulping and component separation of lignocellulose using organic solvents, with a capacity of 1 metric ton of biomass per week
• Various process units for chemical reactions unter ATEX conditions (continuous up to 20 kg/h or batch up to 100 liters at temperatures up to 500°C and pressures up to 300 bar)
• Mechanical and thermal separation processes (including high-temperature rectification up to 350°C at reduced pressures and extraction with l-propane and sc-CO2), also under ATEX conditions

• High pressure reactors for organic syntheses
• Automated high-throughput screening of catalysts
• Gas chromatography (GC), high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)
• 400 MHz NMR spectrometer

Coatings, synthesis, nanostructuring

• Plasma reactors for cleaning, sterilization, coating and functionalization
• Equipment for sputtering and parylene coating
• Chemical-nanotechnical laboratories for the synthesis and preparation of nanostructured (bio)materials and surfaces

Analytics

• Electron (SEM) and probe (AFM) microscopes
• Equipment for the analysis of surfaces and thin films
• Special apparatuses for testing antimicrobially finished materials

Membrane production and characterization

• Pilot plants for the manufacturing and testing of membranes

• Technical center for environmental and bioprocess engineering

• Water technical center
  
• Mobile pilot plants in m³-scale to generate basic engineering data in situ for the planning of innovative demonstration plants
• Demonstration and reference plants for anaerobic and aerobic wastewater treatment and high-load digestion
• Demonstration sites in Knittlingen and Heidelberg-Neurott
• Laboratory systems for investigating the flocking and oxidation properties of industrial process water
• Pilot plants for advanced oxidation processes (AOP) such as electrophysical precipitation, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, UV radiation, ultrasound, anodic oxidation (direct/indirect), cathode reactions
• Test facilities for different membrane processes (e.g. rotating disk filtration)
• Official approvals for handling pathogenic organisms

• Demonstration and reference plants high-load digestion of sewage sludge, biogas from renewable raw materials
• Demonstration sites Stuttgart-Gaisburg and Franca, SP, Brazil

• Design and simulation software SolidWorks, COMSOL MultiPhysics^®, Design-Expert Workstation
• GIS applications using the ESRI ARC-INFO software; process simulation and automation (MATLAB, Siemens programming)

Development also involves analysis and testing. Fraunhofer IGB has an extensive range of high-quality equipment designed to test components, materials, coatings and processes and to reproducibly demonstrate their levels of functionality, safety and reliability. We also offer contract testing services and issue test reports.

Analysis, characterization and testing services