The institute is involved in research in and development of environmentally efficient technologies and sustainable bio-production systems where the raw material is biological and where the product is, for example, energy, feed, food, medicinal products and ingredients.
Moreover, the institute takes an active part in the development of low-temperature fuel cells and related materials. The above-mentioned research areas are supported by the institute’s knowledge in and development of chemical unit operations, usually for reactors, membrane techniques and classical separation techniques that facilitate scaling-up of laboratory processes to industrial scale.
One of the focus areas of the institute is knowledge in and methods used to limit the emission of CO2 and green house gas from both animal and vegetable production systems as well as in the recirculation of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus.
Another of the institute’s focus areas is process development in connection with conversion of energy and refining of bulk chemicals as source material for fine chemicals, medicinal products or food and feed ingredients from animal and vegetable biomasses.
A third focus area is the environmental aspects of industrial systems, bio-production systems and social infrastructure systems. The research includes, among other things, analysis of all product and service systems as well as of the production system, processes and emission of the individual companies.
The institute has three research groups, each with two focus areas: •
Chemical Engineeringo Chemical process engineering
o Functional materials and fuel cells
•
Bio-production Engineering o Biomass technology
o Processing of vegetable raw materials for food, feed and natural medicine
•
Environmental Technology o System analysis and environmentally efficient technology
o Biosystems technology