#Recycling / Circular Economy

2023-03-02

Recycling Atelier Augsburg and Kelheim Fibres cooperate

Kelheim Fibres, the world's leading manufacturer of viscose speciality fibres, has joined Recycling Atelier Augsburg. Recycling Atelier Augsburg is a unique centre for research and development in the field of textile recycling. It is located at the Institut für Textiltechnik Augsburg an affiliated institute of Augsburg University of Applied Sciences. The two institutions founded the Recycling Atelier in June 2022 together with twelve partners from the German textile industry.

As a model factory, the Recycling Atelier Augsburg combines the most important processes of textile recycling and offers holistic and comprehensive research along the value chain," explains Georg Stegschuster, head of the Recycling Atelier Augsburg.

The scientists research on all process steps of textile recycling: from material analysis to sorting, preparation and textile processing to sustainable product design. Comprehensive data collection and the use of artificial intelligence as well as innovative materials play a central role.

Kelheim Fibres is a producer of high-quality viscose fibres, which consist of cellulose, the main component of the renewable raw material wood, and are used worldwide for products in areas such as hygiene, textiles, and technical applications.

"In New Business Development as well as Fibre and Application Development, we follow the Open Innovation concept - the cooperation with the Recycling Atelier offers us an ideal platform for this. Here we work with partners to advance sustainability and performance," explains Maik Thiel, project manager at Kelheim Fibres.

Recycled cotton fibres are often very short or of uneven length, which makes further processing of 100 % recycled material a challenge. This is where the speciality fibres from Kelheim Fibres come into play, whose addition should enable the production of high-quality new products, such as nonwovens. In the future, the fibres provided by Kelheim Fibres will also be made from recycled pulp. Closing the loop further.

In the Recycling Atelier, the focus is on the triad of technical and ecological sense as well as economic benefit. In this way, the partners of the Recycling Atelier are standing up against fast fashion, outsourced corporate responsibility and a general decline in raw material quality, which often fuels downcycling - the low-quality reuse - of materials.

Small tolerances, big impact and a recyclable alternative to elastane

ITA Master's student Janne Warnecke investigated tension differences over the fabric width in the weaving process and thereby contributed to quality assurance; ITA Bachelor's student Jasmin Roos found a basis for the development of recyclable yarns and textiles. For these developments, they were awarded the Walter Reiners Foundation's Promotion and Sustainability Prizes on 27 November. Peter D. Dornier, Chairman of the Walter Reiners Foundation, presented the awards at the Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference (ADD-ITC) in Aachen, Germany.

Aachen Summer School: Strengthening German-Korean cooperation in 4D and robotics

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ITA postdoc Dr Leonie Beek is revolutionising oil filtration with a bionic textile

On various biological surfaces, oil is adsorbed from water surfaces and transported along the leaf. In her dissertation, ITA Postdoc Dr Leonie Beek transferred this effect to a technical textile using her Bionic Oil Absorber (BOA), which can remove up to 4 litres of diesel per hour from water at technological readiness level 4. For this development, Dr Beek was awarded the Paul Schlack Prize 2025 for her dissertation ‘Bionic textiles for oil-water separation modelled on superhydrophobic biological surfaces’ on 10 September 2025. The award ceremony took place during the opening event of the Dornbirn GFC Global Fiber Congress in Austria.

How innovations drive BASF’s success

“Innovation has always been part of BASF’s DNA. Especially in these volatile times, it is crucial to leverage our innovative strength to develop competitive solutions that differentiate us as a company in our markets and give us a competitive edge,” said Dr. Stephan Kothrade, Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF and Chief Technology Officer, at the company’s Research Press Briefing held today. To achieve this, BASF implemented its “Winning Ways” strategy about a year ago with the clear goal of becoming the preferred chemical company to enable its customers’ green transformation.

Happy Holidays!

Dear reader, the year 2025 is drawing to a close. We are entering what we hope will be a peaceful holiday season, spending time with our families and taking a moment to pause and reflect. We hope we have been able to support you once again this year with relevant news and articles, and we look forward to surprising you with many innovations in the coming year. Enjoy the festive season, stay healthy, and we wish you a happy and joyful holiday season.

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