Research and transfer

The Institute of Future Fuels contributes to making renewable resources available to replace fossil resources. We develop solutions for how hydrogen and fuels can be produced cost-effectively on an industrial scale from the raw materials water, CO2 and nitrogen using renewable energies.

Topics

Our research specialisms at the Institute of Future Fuels cover a broad spectrum. From CO₂-neutral fuels, hydrogen as an energy carrier, recycling economy, low-emission base material production and heat transfer media to process evaluation. The following topic pages provide an insight into our research work.

Projects

For a successful energy transition - with the aim of promoting and researching the production of renewable fuels, the DLR Institute of Future Fuels is realising interdisciplinary projects. The project content covers the research topics of CO₂-neutral fuels, hydrogen as energy carrier, recycling economy, low-emission base material production, heat transfer media and process evaluation.

Types of collaboration

Together with local, German, European and global partners, the Institute of Future Fuels pursues the goal of conducting joint research. The common vision is to accelerate the availability of renewable fuels. The institute operates large-scale facilities and laboratories that can also be used by external research partners. The aim is to provide targeted support for industry developments and to test and qualify components.

Research infrastructure

The Institute of Future Fuels operates several large-scale research facilities at various DLR locations for its research projects. These include the High-flux Solar Furnace in Cologne-Porz, the Synlight solar simulator - the world's largest artificial sun - and specialised laboratories for researching state-of-the-art heat transfer media.

Research services

Application-orientated research stands for a close exchange with science and industry for mutual benefit. The Institute of Future Fuels and its co-operation partners operate several test and inspection facilities, which are also available to interested industrial customers.

Start-ups

As part of the "DLR_Startup Factory", we are stepping up support for start-ups from the Institute of Future Fuels. Our start-ups bring the results of research into application and thus onto the market. They are idea generators and innovation drivers. With products and services, they generate added value and contribute to solving societal challenges.