EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT) is a leading German research institution focusing on the areas of sustainable energy management and innovative processes. Together with the PROCERAM GmbH & Co. KG it has developed AQUABRAN^®, a microparticle that is water absorbing and open to diffusion. This technology is currently used in facade paint.

Goal

The main goal of this project was the identification of different new applications for the particle. Specifically, the project team aimed at finding markets and industries that were out of the partner’s familiarity but would still provide potential for their technology. Furthermore, after these markets have been identified, they were to be analyzed in terms of industry properties, user needs, and competitor strengths.

Methodology

Throughout the whole project, the student team applied and followed the TCL (technology competence leveraging) method. In the first step, use benefits of AQUABRAN^® were identified with the help of creativity techniques and user communities. In the next phase, namely search and evaluation of application fields, the team conducted over 45 interviews with experts from different industries and continued their research in user communities. The identified application fields were subsequently ranked according to benefit relevance and strategic fit. The final phase of the project was about a detailed analysis of the three most promising fields with the help of databases, reports and more expert interviews.

Results

Following the TCL methodology, the project team was able to identify over 40 potential application fields for the AQUABRAN^® technology. From shoes to furniture, the fields were highly diverse and wide-ranging. These fields were then sorted from lowest to highest potential. Together with the project partner, the three fields with the highest potential (tents, covering & protective foil, mattresses) were selected for further analysis. The analysis of these three markets revealed the following: tents are the most promising field, because AQUABRAN^® can achieve real technological improvement in the market and therefore satisfy customer needs. The technology can be implemented in tents to keep out rain and improve ventilation and air quality. Furthermore, this market is growing rapidly and provides many innovative companies to partner up with. In addition, the particle can be implemented in the field of covering & protective foil. Specifically, the properties of the particle are highly suitable for packaging that prevents metal corrosion.

Cooperation Partner

• Fraunhofer UMSICHT
  Osterfelder Str.
  346047 Oberhausen
  www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de 

• PROCERAM GmbH & Co. KG
  Kruppstraße 48
  D-47475 Kamp-Lintfort
  www.cerabran.com 

Contact Person

• Andreas Sengespeick - andreas.sengespeick@umsicht.fraunhofer.de

• Dr.-Ing. Jochen Nühlen - jochen.nuehlen@umsicht.fraunhofer.de

• Maximilian Sanner - m.sanner@cerabran.com

Student Team

• Anastasia Stari

• Benjamin Seisl

• Christo Genchev

• Franziska Wurm

• Melanie Günther

• Richard Prem Penaranda

Project Manager

• Klaus Marhold, Ph.D.

• Sophie Quach, MA