For their research in the LaNDER³ project, a team from the HSZG received the German Agriculture Biogas Innovation Award in silver. The prize was awarded for an innovative biorefinery approach to the use of biogenic residues.
Great recognition for applied research at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences: at the 18th Biogas Innovation Congress on 22 May 2025, a research team from the HSZG and a colleague from the DBFZ (Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum gemeinnützige GmbH in Leipzig) were honored with the German Agriculture Biogas Innovation Award in silver.
The prize was awarded for their joint research work 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:
The award-winning results were obtained as part of the research project LaNDER³research project, specifically in Innovation Project 10. The focus of IP 10 is on the development of resource-efficient, economically and ecologically viable fiber pulping processes for the extraction of high-quality natural fibers from regionally available plant raw and residual materials. 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 further process stage to produce biogas and thus generate electricity and process heat.
Parts of the research results were already published in January 2025 in the journal Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery published.
With the Biogas Innovation Award, the jury annually recognizes pioneering developments in the field of biogas technology. The HSZG is delighted to receive this prestigious award, which once again underlines the importance of practical, sustainable research at our university.
My colleagues and I are very proud of this award. It is an enormous recognition of our work to date and at the same time an immense motivation for our future research.
”We are very pleased about the recognition of our work, which is an excellent example of the added value of scientific cooperation. The uncomplicated cooperation with the DBFZ has contributed significantly to this award.
”The impulse project 10 in the LaNDER³ joint project looks at the processes upstream and downstream of the actual production of natural fiber-reinforced plastics (NFRP) - the extraction of the raw material natural fiber as well as the recycling and energy conversion of non-recyclable waste.
Further information on the project: LaNDER³ - IP10
More about the Biogas Innovation Congress: www.biogas-innovationskongress.de
