Awarded silver biogas innovation prize

High Recognition for Applied Research at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences: At the 18th Biogas Innovation Congress on May 22, 2025, a research team from HSZG, together with a colleague from the DBFZ (German Biomass Research Center, a non-profit GmbH in Leipzig), was awarded the Silver Biogas Innovation Prize of German Agriculture.

The award recognized their joint research paper on the topic:“
: Controlled Anaerobic Wet Roasting as Part of an Innovative Biorefinery Process for the Production of Natural Fibers and Wood Substitutes.”

The award-winning team consists of:

• Dr. Judit Harsanyi (HSZG)
• Dr. Marzena Poraj-Kobielska (HSZG)
• Matthias Tirsch (HSZG)
• Harald Wedwitschka (DBFZ)
• Prof. Dr. Jörg Kretzschmar (HSZG)

These outstanding results were achieved as part of the research project LaNDER³, specifically within Innovation Project 10. IP 10 focuses on the development of resource-efficient, economically and ecologically sustainable fiber extraction processes for obtaining high-quality natural fibers from regionally available plant-based raw materials and residues. A key process here is controlled anaerobic wet roasting, a microbiological process that combines the extraction of natural fibers with the production of organic fatty acids. The latter can be used in a subsequent process step to produce biogas and, consequently, to generate electricity and process heat.

Parts of the research results were already published in January 2025 in the journal *Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery* in January 2025.

With the Biogas Innovation Award, the jury annually recognizes forward-looking developments in the field of biogas technology. The HSZG is delighted to receive this prestigious award, which once again underscores the importance of practical, sustainable research at our university.