Climate resilience & circular economy: Innovative ideas in action

In view of the pressing global challenges ranging from climate change to resource scarcity, the need for innovative environmental technologies is becoming ever more urgent. As the World's Leading Trade Fair for Water, Sewage, Waste and Raw Materials Management, IFAT Munich is an indispensable platform for pioneering innovations and forward-looking concepts in the field of climate resilience and circular economy. Amidst a large number of exhibitors and experts, pioneering concepts and innovations are presented that aim to shape a future in which the economy and the environment are in harmony. We would like to introduce you to a few of these projects today.

Climate resilience: adapting to the consequences of climate change

WAVIN - Tree Tank

Wavin, based in Twist, Lower Saxony, has set itself the goal of breaking through the increasing densification and sealing of cities. Its focus is on creating greener urban spaces. More trees are needed, as these green all-rounders help to create a cooler ambient temperature in hot weather and also improve air quality. As a solution, the company presents the "Tree-Tank", a system that allows tree roots to develop freely without restricting their growth. Wavin emphasizes the system's high static load capacity and its versatility in different sizes, which helps to improve the quality of life. The Tree Tank is already being used in cities such as Darmstadt, Oberhausen and Schwandorf.

But no green without blue. With the "PolderRoof", the company offers an innovative solution for storing rainwater on flat roofs, which can then be used to irrigate green roofs. With the help of an app, users can monitor the fill level and control the release of the stored rainwater.

Rehau - Rausikko-Box

Extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall can cause serious problems, especially in heavily sealed urban areas. However, an innovative team of inventors is confident that their new development, the so-called Rausikko-Box, can offer a sustainable solution. This box has been specifically optimized to absorb water effectively and can store up to 960 liters per cubic meter, according to the manufacturer from Erlangen. In addition to the high storage capacity, the company emphasizes that these underground modular components remain completely stable even under the load of trucks, making them ideal for access roads and parking lots.

Veolia Wasser Deutschland GmbH - Extinguishing water cistern

The environmental services provider from Leipzig describes its firefighting water cistern as "the reliable water reserve for firefighting". Extreme heat and prolonged drought can lead not only to crop failures, but also to large-scale fires. In the past, municipalities have already found themselves in a situation where the groundwater level had dropped so low that the fire departments had no firefighting water available. With its water cisterns, the company has developed a weatherproof, low-maintenance and cost-effective solution to counteract this problem.

Circular economy: Circular management for resource and environmental protection

Lindner-Recyclingtech GmbH - Innovative plastics recycling

From used plastic bottles to backpacks: the Austrian recycling experts from Spittal an der Drau have set themselves the goal of processing metal, paper and plastics perfectly for recycling. The further developed Micromat series from Lindner is designed to achieve an optimum degree of shredding, particularly for plastics, as the company emphasizes. The resulting recyclate is of such high quality that the American company Unifi was able to produce plastic fibers from the shredded material, which in turn are used for high-quality backpacks. Named REPREVE, this plastic fiber is said to be extremely strong, tear-resistant and durable - making it ideal for the production of backpacks.

Huber SE - Therm-Win process

Heating and cooling using wastewater from the sewer: A company from Berching in the Upper Palatinate uses the constant temperature of municipal wastewater, which is between ten and 20 degrees Celsius all year round. Thanks to the Therm-Win process developed, a special heat exchanger can be installed to heat schools, sport halls and swimming pools, for example, if they are located near the sewer system. The construction work required is minimal, as only two boreholes and the construction of a narrow shaft are needed for the system, regardless of the diameter of the sewer pipe.

The Bavarian state government was impressed by this innovation and had the wastewater heating/cooling system installed in the Museum of Bavarian History in Regensburg, among other places.

Tomra - Turning old into new: window frames

In 1972, brothers Petter and Tore Planke developed the first bottle deposit machine for a grocery retailer in Asker, Norway. Today, their company has high-tech machines that can recover 99 percent pure aluminum through a combination of mechanical and sensor-based sorting, which is then returned to the cycle. According to the company, 42,000 tons of scrap metal, for example, are further processed in the British recycling plant Alutrade after pre-shredding and magnetic separation with the advanced Tomra X-Tract to obtain ten to 30 millimeter pieces of aluminum. The exceptional purity of the material enables the production of new aluminum products such as window frames of the highest quality, thus closing the cycle.

Komptech - fine processing machine for compost

The goal of Austrian compost pioneer Stefan Lengel is: "Earth to pure earth, circular economy". The entrepreneur set up a composting plant for organic waste and green waste back in 1988. However, the contamination of biowaste with foreign matter, especially plastic, was a problem. This is where the Komptech fine processing machine comes into play and offers a solution: a new corrugated screen with a perforation of around six millimeters produces an end product that is virtually free of foreign matter. Using this process, the composting company produces around 7,500 tons of compost with the A+ quality seal.

The innovations presented demonstrate the ongoing development and implementation of state-of-the-art technologies in the field of environmental engineering and recycling management. But this is just the beginning. IFAT Munich 2024 promises to present more exciting technologies and solutions that will help protect our environment and drive forward the circular economy.