Sustainability

The raw material wood has shaped the development of mankind like hardly any other natural material. For centuries, wood was one of the most important materials for satisfying people's basic material and energy needs. But how can we use this raw material today? At the TUM@Freising lecture series on Thursday, September 30, 2021, Prof. Klaus Richter from the Chair of Wood Science at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) will explain how wood can be optimized through innovative technology and what potential this offers for climate protection.

Urea is a valuable nitrogen fertilizer which is regularly used in agriculture to fertilize large areas of arable land. However, the release of urea into the atmosphere extensively affects the environment and human health. These affects can be largely mitigated by the addition of “urease inhibitors”, which reduce gaseous ammonia losses. A team of researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now calculated how the use of eco-efficient fertilizers can save billions in environmental and health expenditures.

Will a hyperloop train soon whisk us from Munich to Berlin in just 30 minutes? Will artificial intelligence control our vehicles in the future? And how can we create more effectively networked, climate-friendly forms of urban mobility? These issues are being explored by scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Their research projects will be presented at IAA MOBILITY in Munich from September 7–12.

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is delighted that a Hydrogen Technology User Center (WTAZ) in Pfeffenhausen, near Landshut, has now been greenlighted. TUM will participate in the research and development work at the new Center as part of a Bavarian consortium. The decision in favor of this location was announced today by the Federal Ministry of Economics and the Bavarian state government.

The speed at which deadwood decomposes in forests depends on the climate as well as on fungi and insects. An international research team has now determined the annual contribution made by deadwood to the global carbon cycle and quantified the importance of insects in the decomposition of wood for the first time.

More urban green helps to cool down cities. Baubotanik (bau = construction + botanik = botany) is a construction method that incorporates living trees into architectural structures. Specialists in this field at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) envision the use of trees to enhance the functions of the built environment. They use trees for structural purposes as supports for pavilions or balconies or in green facades to benefit the microclimate. In this interview Prof. Ferdinand Ludwig explains how digital tools can be used to integrate growth processes of plants into architectural designs.

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is supporting the city-state of Singapore in its efforts to become a technology pioneer in the field of environmental protection for Southeast Asia. Specializing in closed loop recycling management, in the future the CirculaTUM research alliance will work together with the Plastics Recycling Association Singapore (PRAS).

Not all entrepreneurs who found social enterprises are driven by idealism. Some of them see societal crises as an opportunity to realize their ambition to set up a company of their own. This was one conclusion of a German-US study of social enterprises established in 2015 in response to the plight of refugees. Because the founders' motivations also impact the strategy of prosocial ventures, the insights gained in the study can help to improve efforts to support start-ups.

A heavy responsibility: The construction sector is responsible for around 40 percent of global CO2 emissions and 60 percent of waste generated in Germany. That is the challenge that the architecture students Michelle Hagenauer and Jakob Ohlenmacher wish to tackle with their sustainability action group “AG Nachhaltigkeit".

A stroll through the main Munich campus reveals frequent glimpses of Veronica Becker’s project. With their raised vegetable beds, she and her team are not only making the campus greener, but also more livable. The Deutschlandstipendium scholarship gives her the freedom she needs to turn her ideas into reality.