Digitalization and Sustainability
Ending the dependence on fossil fuels, conserving resources, and protecting habitats are elementary components for successfully leading modern societies onto a sustainable path and thus making them fit for the future. Numerous researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are therefore working on solutions and are generating valuable knowledge - from the development of a future climate-neutral energy system within the framework of the Energy Lab 2.0 to sustainable concepts for civil engineering or mobility of the future through to a better understanding of climate change.
One approach is to combine the ongoing digitalization of various areas of life with concepts of sustainability. For example, in automated research into new battery materials, the networking of mobility services, or more resource-efficient production using efficient algorithms. Sina Peukert of the wbk Institute of Production Science at KIT explains in a video (right side) which further opportunities digitization offers for sustainable development
Learn more about KIT‘s research on these topics in the online dossier. We also present KIT's multifaceted topics at Hannover Messe 2022, whose motto of "Transforming Industry Together" is all about digitalization and sustainability.
Overview
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KIT President Holger Hanselka in interview: "We consider ourselves to be bridge builders."
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Climate and risk research, security for sustainable energy systems, an innovative process that converts climate-damaging carbon dioxide, and further highlights from research and development.
Press Portfolio
Sustainability and digitalization are also key topics in issue no. 1/22 of KIT‘s research magazine lookKIT.
Please click here to read lookKIT 1/22Smart Battery Research
Achieving greenhouse gas neutrality is essential to limit human-made climate change. A central building block on the way towards greenhouse gas neutrality is the energy transition, i.e., the phase-out of the use of fossil fuels. Alternative energy sources, such as wind or solar power, are therefore needed to continue to meet the energy requirements of modern societies.
Making these renewable energies permanently and reliably available is a challenge that requires powerful batteries. Research into the latter and production for a wide range of applications therefore make a valuable contribution to the energy transition. To further improve the research into and production of these energy storage systems, KIT and its partners rely on resources from the toolbox of digitalization, such as automation and networking.
The battery competence cluster InZePro aims to holistically optimize production systems and make them more flexible.
Read moreNetworked and autonomously mobile
The switch to zero-emission forms of propulsion is essential for achieving climate targets in the transport sector. The traffic transition, however, involves much more than that. Other elements include, for example, the expansion of public transport and the development of new mobility concepts.
Together with partners, KIT is therefore working on the mobility of the future in various projects. For example, in the regiomove project, which promotes the networking of mobility services, or in the TEMPUS project, where buses are electronically linked to each other to contribute to demand-oriented local transport.
At KIT, the acceptance of driverless bus shuttles is being investigated in the RABus project.
Read more
KI: Conserving resources, protecting the environment
AI will be much more present in our everyday lives in the future, for example in autonomous driving or in the form of assistive robots in healthcare. In addition, AI can help conserve resources and protect our environment.
KIT researchers are working, for example, on making production processes in process engineering plants more efficient with the help of algorithms and thus saving resources. The environment can benefit even more directly from an intelligent assistance system that helps foresters manage forests sustainably.
KIT at Hannover Messe 2022
Climate and risk research, security for sustainable energy systems, intelligent data management for companies, an innovative process that converts climate-damaging carbon dioxide into the valuable raw material carbon black - fine-grained carbon - and a technology for producing green methanol: From May 30 to June 2, 2022, KIT will present these and other topics at Hannover Messe 2022, in the Future Hub (Hall 2, Stand B40) and at Energy Solutions (Hall 13, Stand D62).
Further information
Harnessing Climate Research for Society
The South German Climate Office at KIT
Which effects does global climate change have on single regions? What can we do to mitigate it? And how can we adapt to the unavoidable consequences? Questions like these arise in many branches. Planners and decision-makers in politics, industry, and society need scientifically sound and close-to-practice information to deal with these issues. The South-German Climate Office at KIT is committed to providing exactly this information.
Analyzing and Reducing Risks
Startup Risklayer
Risks increasingly shape our everyday lives and are ever more present in politics and current affairs. Every crisis, whether natural or human-made, challenges our understanding of individual and societal risks. KIT’s startup Risklayer models and analyzes these risks and identifies the solutions to reduce them.
Understanding Hazards – Estimating Risks – Enhancing Resilience
CEDIM – Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology
Time and again, storms, floods, earthquakes, and other extreme events cause many deaths and severe damage. Due to global change, in particular climate change, population growth, urbanization, and our dependence on critical infrastructures, the frequency and effects of such events will increase significantly in future. Research of KIT’s Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology, CEDIM for short, is aimed at managing and preventing natural and technical risks.
Protection against Fraud on the Internet
NoPhish Concept of Protective Measures Ranging from the Flyer to the Online Game
Fraudulent messages come as emails or in other forms. With the help of the NoPhish concept developed by the SECUSO research group of KIT, users can detect them and protect themselves. The NoPhish concept includes various measures, such as flyers, training material, explanation videos, posters, and an online game, to raise awareness, impart knowledge, and explain how persons, companies, and institutions can protect themselves.
Also present at the stand is the humanoid robot STAR (Security Teaching & Awareness Robot).It supports the SECUSO research team in the training in the field of cyber security.
Combination of Real and Synthetic Data
Startup Aimino
The Aimino startup offers services and tools for the efficient cleaning of existing datasets of companies. In addition, Aimino offers to extend the datasets by synthetic data meeting the needs of the customers. This helps prevent data breaches. With Amelia, a tool offered by Aimino, AI engineers can generate customized synthetic data, thus saving time and costs.
Energy Transition and Circular Economy
CarbonCycleLab
The CarbonCycleLab covers the complete process chain of the future carbon cycle: From residues and waste materials to basic chemical substances produced on their basis that will replace fossil fuels in chemical industry. The CarbonCycleLab combines the energy transition with circular economy and thus contributes to making future economy resource-efficient, climate-neutral, and competitive.
From a Climate-damaging Greenhouse Gas to an Economically Viable Material
NECOC – Negative Emissions by Separating Atmospheric CO2 into Economically Viable Carbon Black and Oxygen
A consortium of KIT institutes and industrial companies has developed an integrated process to achieve negative emissions. Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is decomposed into elemental carbon (carbon black, C) and oxygen (O2). The solid carbon in the form of microgranular powder is separated and then, as a high-priced educt, used in rubber, construction, or electrical industries.
Towards Competitive Renewable Fuels
Startup ICODOS
KIT’s startup ICODOS has developed a technology that efficiently combines carbon dioxide separation and methanol synthesis and, hence, contributes to making renewable fuels competitive. Initial implementation will concentrate on biogas. However, it is planned to also use the technology for other CO2 point sources in cement industry, for instance. A pilot plant is under construction and will be integrated in KIT’s Energy Lab 2.0.
KIT in the Conference Program
Hannover Messe Main Stage
Hall 18, H'Up
Monday, 30.05.2022, 2:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Next Generation Manufacturing — Transforming production from a liability into an asset
Panel Discussion on the topic "Industry 4.0" among others with professor Gisela Lanza from KIT
Tuesday, 31.05.2022, 2:00 p.m. to 4:10 p.m.
Lightweighting Summit
The President of KIT, Professor Holger Hanselka, will participate as a speaker at the conference under the patronage of the Federal Minister of Economics, Dr. Robert Habeck. The event will focus on lightweight construction and hydrogen technologies.
Tech Transfer Conference Stage
Lectures in Hall 2, Stand A60
Monday, 30.05.2022, 11:40 a.m.
Natural disasters can hit all of us
Professor Michael Kunz from KIT
Monday, 30.05.2022, 12:55 a.m.
There can be no sustainability without resilience
Dr. Andreas Schäfer from KIT
Tuesday, 31.05.2022, 09:55 a.m.
Applying regional climate simulations to secure the future, using forestry as an example
Dr. Hans Schipper from KIT and Dr. Thomas Freudenmann from EDI GmbH, a spin-off from KIT.
Wednesday, 01.06.2022, 3:05 p.m.
How enterprises retain data sovereignty through data-centric AI solutions –
An overview of data anomymization, synthesis, distribution, and secure data processing
Dr. Duc Tam Nguyen from Aimino Tech GmbH, a spin-off from KIT
Press Highlight Tour
Climate protection as a central topic - also on the press tour at the KIT booth in the Future Hub
Celebrity Visit from Federal ...
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (2nd from left) at the KIT climate research presentation globe, with President Holger Hanselka (left) and Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa (right).
... and State Government
Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Economic Affairs Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut (center), President Holger Hanselka (right), and institute director Roland Dittmeyer at the KIT stand at Energy Solutions.
Imparting knowledge
From left: Michael Kunz (Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research), Vice President Thomas Hirth, Hans Schipper (South German Climate Office), Domenica Riecker-Schwörer (Event Management).
NoPhish Concept
Robot STAR (Security Teaching & Awareness Robot) helps detect fraudulent messages. In the background: Melanie Volkamer, head of the SECUSO research group, and President Holger Hanselka.
CarbonCycleLab
Carbon cycle of the future: from residual and waste materials to basic chemical substances produced from them.
Intelligent Carbon Dioxide Solutions
Efficient process combining carbon dioxide separation and methanol synthesis.
