Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGBWe are your partner for the development of the sustainable synthesis processes and the innovative chemical products of the future. We focus on the selection of biobased resources, the development of modern conversion and production processes and particularly on the application of catalytic processes (chemo-, bio- and electro-catalysis). This includes the analytical and functional evaluation of these processes and products. Following that idea, our goal is the production of new products and materials derived from renewables, residual streams, and carbon dioxide (CO2) in an environmentally benign manner – together with our partners. For this, we rely on our modern laboratories for biotechnology, chemistry, polymer chemistry, and our technicum for material processing including the following equipment:
Equipment BioCat, Straubing site
1. Synthesis/processing
Automatized laboratory reactors
Data collection for the development of novel synthesis, optimization of reaction protocols, establishment of robust and secure processes.
| SYSTEM | SHORT DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Double jacket glass reactors | 0,5 L – 4 L installed Upgradable to 50 L |
| Temperature | -10 °C – 200 °C |
| Parameter control | Temperature, pH-value, stirring speed, dosing of fluids |
High pressure reactors
Chemical synthesis with gas reactants and high pressure.
| High pressure reactors | Short description |
|---|---|
| Parallel autoclave station | Four parallel reactors in lab scale Volume: 100 mL/reactor Pressure: up to 300 bar Temperature: up to 400 °C Material: Hastelloy C22 Stirrer: gassing Computer control and exact documentation of reaction data |
| Small scale autoclave | Volume: 50 mL + 100 mL, Pressure: up to 150 bar Temperature: up to 250 °C Material: stainless steel |
| Acidulation autoclaves | Volume: 45 mL + 125 mL Pressure: up to 120 bar Temperature: up to 250 °C Material: PTFE-inlay and stainless steel shell |
| Parr batch reactor | Volume: 2 L Pressure: up to 100 bar Temperature: up to 350 °C Material: stainless steel Stirrer: gassing and paddle stirring |
Catalyst screening station
Parallel catalyst screening under defined conditions.
| Screening-System | Short description |
|---|---|
| Heterogeneous catalyst screening station | Four parallel reactors Temperature: up to 500 °C Pressure: up to 80 bar Material: Steel Gases: CO, CO2, H2, N2, Ar, synthetic air, hydrocarbons Gas flow: 10 – 100 mL min-1 Fluids: H2O (0-2.5 g h-1) |
| Three-phase reactor (fixed-bed) | Volume: D = 6 mm; H = 200 mm Pressure: up to 10 bar Temperature: up to 450 °C Material: Steel or glass Gases: NH3, N2, synthetic air Volume flows: liquid up to 2 mL/min ; Gases up to 100 mL/min |
10 L fermenter
| system |
short description |
|---|---|
| BBI BIOSTAT® C C10-3 15 L vessel (hight:diameter - 3:1) |
Working volume 3 – 10 L |
| Pressure resistance | -1 – 3 bar |
| Gassing control | 0,6 – 30 L min-1 (0,04 – 2 vvm), air, N2 |
| Stirring | 2x6 paddle Rushton-Turbine 900 W brushless Motor |
| Pump control | 4x peristaltic pumps (max. 300 mL min-1) |
| Sensors | pH, pO2, antifoam, temperature |
| Monitoring and (feedback) control | Control pH (1 – 13) und pO2 (0 – 100 %) Antifoam agent dosing Media- / substrate dosing Temperature (8 – 150°C) Stirring (10 – 1.500 rpm) |
Polymerization reactor/Hydrogenation reactor
2-step mini-plant for demonstration of polycondensation under application-oriented conditions and for hydrogenation of organic compounds.
| system | short description |
|---|---|
| Working volume | Two 1,5 L autoclaves with distillation uni |
| Monitoring and (feedback) control | Fully (feedback) controlled mini-plant with gas dosing |
| Temperature | Up to 350 °C |
| Pressure | Up to 200 bar |
Glovebox
| system | short description |
|---|---|
| Inert atmosphere (N2, Ar) | Allows very air- or moisture-sensitive reactions (< 1 ppm O2 or moisture) |
| Pressure | -15 – 15 mbar (negative or positive pressure) |
Oven
Muffle furnace and calciners with optional inert atmosphere and control unit.
| system | short description |
|---|---|
| Gases | N2, air |
| Temperature | Up to 1200 °C |
Vacuum drying oven
| system |
short description |
|---|---|
| Filling capacity | 115 L |
| Vacuum | Up to 15 mbar |
| Temperature | Up to 110 °C |
Press
Thermal forming under pressure by pressing.
| system | short description |
|---|---|
| Surface temperature | Up to 300 °C |
| Pressing force | Up to 200 kN |
Cutting mill
The cutting mill is used for crushing of soft to medium-hard, brittle or fibrous sample material.
| SYSTEM | short description |
|---|---|
| Cutting insert | 3 rotor knives with 4 steel counter knives |
| Sieve inserts | 0.2 mm, 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm and 1.5 mm trapezoid wholes |
| Speed range | 6000 – 22000 U/min, adjustable in steps of 1000 |
| Time function | Timer/ stopwatch |
| Embrittlement of the samples | Processing of brittle sample material, for example with liquid nitrogen, is possible. |
| Feeding material | Size max. 15 mm |
| Throughput quantity | Up to 15 L/h -> Sample dependent |
Mini-Compounder
Twin-screw extruder for processing very small quantities. Used to determine initial material-specific characteristics.
| SYSTEM | short description |
|---|---|
| Cyclinder capacity | 15 mL |
| Temperature | Up to 400 °C |
| Rotation speed | Up to 250 rpm |
| Torque value | Up to 40 Nm |
| Material properties | Cylinder (64 HRC, 2000 Vickers) and screws (56 HRC, 1000 Vickers) are wear-resistant, abrasion-resistant and chemical-resistant. |
| Bypass valve | Possibility of material return or continuous extrusion |
| Data recording via software | Graphical presentation and recording of extrusion parameters (temperature, melt viscosity, shear forces, torque). Can be saved as an Excel file. |
Injection moulding
| System | short description |
|---|---|
| MiniJet | Plunger plastification |
| Injection moulding | Screw plastification |
Extrusion
- Planetary roller extruder
2. Analytics
2.1. Chemical structure determination
400 MHz-Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
Structure determination of organic molecules, end-group determination of polymers, and reaction monitoring (qualitatively and quantitatively).
| system | short description |
|---|---|
| 9,4 Tesla Magnet | Frequenz 400 MHz |
| 5 mm probe head | Automatically tunable in the range from 1H to 19F and 31P to 109Ag, field gradient up to 140 G/cm |
| 2 channel spectrometer | 1D and 2D measurements: COSY, HMQC, HMBC, NOESY, ROESY, TOCSY, and DOSY |
| Variable temperature control | -100 °C – 150 °C |
FTIR-spectroscopy (transmission and ATR)
Structure determination and reaction control.
| system |
short description |
|---|---|
| ATR unit | Non-destructive substance analysis of solids and fluids |
| Transmittance measurements (KBr pellets) | Quantitative analysis |
2.2. Chromatographic methods
Gas chromatography (GC)
Gas chromatography is used for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of organic substances and mixtures. This requires vaporization without decomposition of each component.
| GC-system | short description |
|---|---|
| Single-Quad-MS-Detector (mass spectrometry) | Identification and determination of components of mixtures such as coatings, natural substances, flavors and odorants |
| FID (flame ionization detector) | Robust detector for oranic compounds with high sensitivity (detection limit 1 ng) |
| TCS (thermal conductivity scanner) | Universal detector |
| Headspace | Analysis of highly volatile substances |
| SPME (solid phase micro extraction) | Analysis of samples with low compound concentration by adsorptio |
| Sample introduction options | On-column, SSL (split/splitless), PTV (programmed temperature vaporizer) |
High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
High performance liquid chromatography is used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of organic mixtures.
| HPLC-system | short description |
|---|---|
| DAD (Dioden-Array-Detector) | UV/Vis absorbance (full spectrum) |
| ELSD (Evaporative Light Scattering Detector) | Compound analysis by structure-specific light scattering |
| RID (Refractive Index Detector) | Detection by refractive index changes |
| MS-Detector (mass spectrometry) | Identification and quantification of compounds, MSn-spectra |
Size exclusion chromatography / Gel permeation chromatography (SEC/GPC)
Determination of molecular weight distribution from 102 – 107 g/mol.
| system | short description |
|---|---|
| GPC | Isocratic Pump, HFIP-compatible devices Pressure: 200 bar |
| Differential-refractometer RI-detector | Concentration detector for regular GPC by standard calibration |
| Multiwavelength UV-Vis detector | Determination of structural geometry variation in co-polymers |
| Multiangle light scattering detector (MALLS) SLD7100 | Determination of absolute molecular weight, applicable starting at 10.000 g/mol, used for peptides, natural polymers, etc. |
| Viscometer detector DVD 1260 | Determination of molecular weight by viscosity, applicable starting at 5.000 g/mol |
Fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC)
Purification of (recombinant) proteins from cell lysates.
| system | short description |
|---|---|
| Column | Various column materials for protein purification |
| UV-Detector (UV-900) | Detection of proteins |
| Conductivity detector and pH-detector (P/C-900) | Monitoring of conductivity and pH value |
2.3. Other methods
Autotitrator
| system | short description |
|---|---|
| Applications | Saponification value (DIN 53401)Saponification value lignin Modification Acid value (DIN 53402) OH-value (DIN 53240) End group determination of Polymers Acid-base titration Karl-Fischer-titration |
TOC Analyzer
The TOC analyzer is used to determine the environmental parameters of TOC, NPOC, TC, TIC and POC in aqueous samples. The TN add-on module can also be used to determine TNb.
| system | short description |
|---|---|
| Digestion method | High-temperature combustion up to 950 °C |
| TN Detector | Electrochemical „solid-state“ detector |
| Measurable parameters | TC, TIC, TOC, NPOC, NPOCplus, POC, TN |
| Measurement range (detection limit) | 0 – 30.000 mg/L C (4 µg/L C) 0 – 100 mg/L TNb (0,05 mg/L TNb) |
| Sample supply | Automatic flow injection with automatic acidification/blowing out of the samples, rinsing technology and dilution option |
3. Material characterization
3.1. Thermal analysis
Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)
Measurement of heat flow variations occurring due to temperature- or time-dependent changes of the physical or chemical sample properties (phase transitions).
| system | short description |
|---|---|
| Temperature | -80 °C – 500 °C |
| Gases |
N2, air |
| Heating rate | 0,02 – 300 K/min |
| Cooling rate |
0,02 – 50 K/min |
Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)
Measurement of mass changes of a sample depending on heat and time.
| system | short description |
|---|---|
| Temperature | Up to 1100 °C |
| Heating rate | 0,02 – 150 K/min |
| Sample volume | Up to 900 µL |
| Sorption unit | |
|---|---|
| Temperature | Up to 95 °C |
| Rel. humidity | 100 % |
Determination of the heat deflection temperature (HDT) (not yet in use)
The HDT/Vicat is used to determine the heat deflection temperature, the softening temperature and the creep behavior of various polymers.
| system | short description |
|---|---|
| Temperature | Up to 300 °C |
| Testing according to | DIN EN ISO 75 1-3, DIN EN ISO 306 |
| Monitoring stations | 4 |
| Evaluation of results | Statistical evaluation and presentation as a results table, figure and test report. |
3.2. Mechanical properties
Pendulum impact tester
The pendulum impact tester is used to determine the impact strength of various polymers.
| SYSTEM | SHORT DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Working capacity | Up to 50 J |
| Testing according to | DIN EN ISO 179 (Charpy), DIN EN ISO 180 (Izod) |
| 3 pendumlums each | 0.5 J, 2 J und 5 J (Charpy); 1 J, 2.75 J and 5.5 J (Izod) |
| Evaluation of results | Statistical evaluation and presentation as a results table, figure and test report. |
Universal testing machine
For determining the mechanical properties of various polymers.
| SYSTEM | SHORT DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Testing options | Tensile test according to DIN EN ISO 527 1-3, 3-point flexure tests according to DIN EN ISO 178 |
| Test force range | Up to 20 kN |
| Force transducer | 2,5 kN |
| Strain transducer | Video extensometer (optical) |
| Sample holder | Pneumatic with adjustable closing pressure, test force 2.5 kN |
| Evaluation of results | Statistical evaluation and presentation as a results table, figure and test report. |
Shore hardness (DIN ISO 7619-1)
Digital shore hardness type A and type D with test bench.
| system | short description |
|---|---|
| Typ A | For soft materials |
| Typ D | For medium to hard materials |
| Resolution | 0,1 |
| Accuracy | ≤ 1 % |
Rheology/DMA (coming 2025)
Establishment of a high-performing combination device for shear-reological investigations under rotation and oszillation and dynamic-mechanical analysis of solids under bending, tension and compression.
Capillary viscometry by Ubbelohde-viscosimeter
Determination of the reduced intrinsic viscosity of diluted solutions of soluble polymers.
| system |
short description |
|---|---|
| Testing according to | DIN EN ISO 307, DIN EN ISO 1628 etc. |
| Solvents | m-cresol Sulfuric acid Formic acid |
| Viscosimeter | Ubbelohde and micro-Ubbelohde (DIN 51562) |
3.3. Other methods
Microscopy
For reflected- and transmitted light applications.
| system |
short description |
|---|---|
| Lenses |
Fiber analysis: 5x, 10x, 20x, 50x Microbiology: 40x, 100x (Ölimmersion) |
| 5 Mp camera | High-resolution camera for optimal imaging |
| Test bench with 3-axes motorization | Software-automatized imaging with high depth of field |
Brightfield / darkfield polarization Phase contrast Ph1/Ph2/Ph3 Transmitted light Polarization with additional Lambda-plate |
Multitude of contrast-/polarization options for reflected- and transmitted light applications for optimal structure imaging |
Density measurement of solids and fluids
Solids: Density balance DIN EN ISO 1183.
Fluids: Density meter (flexural resonator) for measurements of viscous samples according to DIN EN ISO 5725 with adapter heating.
| system | short description |
|---|---|
| Density range | 0 g/cm³ – 3 g/cm³ |
| Temperature range | 0 °C – 100 °C |
| Sample volume | Ca. 1 mL |
| Accuracy | 0,0001 g/cm³ |
Conditioning of specimen
Climatic chamber for constant conditions for the storage of specimen under standard atmosphere at 23 °C and 50 % relative humidity.