Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT

To match the fluctuating renewable energy generation with varying industrial process steam demand, electric heat storage is a viable solution for energy transformation. However, the adoption of this technology by companies hinges on its economic feasibility. Proponents often argue that leveraging spot market electricity prices provides a competitive edge over conventional energy systems without storage. However, additional factors, such as grid fees, levies and taxes can substantially inflate storage charging costs. This study investigates the integration of an electric latent heat storage for process steam within a conventional natural gas boiler system in a paper manufacturing case study under German industrial electricity price regulation to evaluate the effects of electricity prices alongside various operational energy cost factors and rebates through a mixed-integer linear program. Three storage sizes (1 MWh, 100 MWh, 100 GWh) and four electricity procurement configurations (status quo, optimized fixed-price contract, day-ahead only, and a mixed fixed/day-ahead strategy) are analysed. For 100 MWh, the mixed strategy cuts energy costs by about 10% versus day-ahead pricing and around 13.5% versus the status quo contract, lowering the specific electricity price from 6.2 to 5.3 ct/kWh, while emissions range from the slight increases to 23% reductions when grid fees are removed.

ABSTRACT The smartphone industry faces sustainability challenges from greenhouse gas emissions and resource depletion to growing e‐waste volumes. Circular business models have been proposed as a pathway to address these issues, yet their adoption remains limited, lacking integrative assessment frameworks that connect environmental performance with business viability. This study develops and applies such a framework combining life cycle assessment, monetisation of externalities via the eco‐cost method and a structured value alignment score. Using primary data from Fairphone 5 as a case study, four scenarios with increasing levels of circularity are analysed: (S0) a linear business‐as‐usual baseline, (S1) extended use with moderate user‐led repairs, (S2) long‐life use with intensified user‐led repairs and (S3) a product‐as‐a‐service model based on manufacturer‐led refurbishment. The results demonstrate that all circular business models outperform the linear baseline in terms of both environmental impacts and monetised externalities. Incremental models that extend product lifespans through user‐led repair (S1, S2) yield significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (up to −46%) and eco‐costs (−36%). However, their strategic alignment is constrained by weakened consumer value propositions and original equipment manufacturing profitability. In contrast, a product‐as‐a‐service model (S3) achieves superior outcomes by internalising life cycle responsibility and aligning incentives with longevity and service quality, reflecting systemic reconfiguration of value logics. The study contributes theoretically by operationalising an integrated framework that bridges environmental metrics with strategic value dimensions to evaluate circular business models. Practically, it provides firms a structured tool for evaluating trade‐offs and advancing scalable pathways towards a sustainable circular economy.

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Faced with one of the greatest challenges of humanity – climate change – the European Union has set out a strategy to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 as part of the European Green Deal. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which among other aspects identifies climate change effects, is an important tool to assess the environmental characteristic of sustainable technologies or products to fulfill this ambitious target.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">In this context, research is presented that examines the ecological sustainability impacts of a metallic vs a composite bipolar plate made of innovative graphite-compound based foils for fuel cell applications. A bipolar plate is a central component of the fuel cell stack to ensure efficiency and durability. For this purpose, a LCA is performed for both bipolar plate materials. This assessment follows the methodology of DIN EN ISO 14040/44 and the EU Product Environmental Footprint framework. Focusing on cradle-to-gate system boundary conditions, the research emphasizes the manufacturing processes with the relevant material and energy flows. Dealing with uncertainties in the energy supply chain, a comprehensive sensitivity analysis is conducted defining current and future energy scenarios with various shares of renewable and fossil energy carriers. Furthermore, the impact of different material production locations on the outcome of the LCA is investigated, considering changing geopolitical conditions. To assess also the effect on a fuel cell stack, the study continues with a cradle-to-gate evaluation of the fuel cell system. Afterwards, to also consider the complete lifetime of a fuel cell vehicle, the study is extended to cradle-to-grave system boundary conditions for a C-segment SUV. Besides the evaluation of the global warming reduction potential, the study deals with the impact of the production processes of both bipolar plates on other impact categories like freshwater eutrophication or acidification. The investigations have shown that the use of foil-based graphite-compound bipolar plates can reduce the global warming potential by up to 75% compared to conventional steel bipolar plates.</div></div>

Electrosynthesis has the potential to revolutionize industrial organic synthesis sustainably and efficiently. However, high cell voltages and low stability often arise due to solubility issues with organic solvents, while protic electrolytes restrict substrate options. We present a three-layered electrode design that enables the use of concentrated to neat substrate feeds. This design separates the organic substrate from the aqueous electrolyte using layers with varying porosity and hydrophilicity, ensuring precise reactant transport to the catalyst layer while minimizing substrate and electrolyte crossover. We demonstrate its effectiveness bysemi-hydrogenating three alkynols with different hydrophobicities. For the semi-hydrogenation of 3-methyl-1-pentyn-3-ol in pure form, we achieved 65% faradaic efficiency at 80 mA cm-2. Additionally, semi-hydrogenation of neat 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol on palladium showed a faradaic efficiency for semi-hydrogenation of 36%, that was stable for 22 h. This design could be pioneering the electrochemical valorization of neat substrates, reducing the need for extensive downstream processing.

New, asymmetric quinizarin-Au(I)-NHC complexes were designed, isolated, and fully characterised including by single crystal X-ray crystallography. Cytotoxicity studies showed effective growth inhibition in HeLa cervical cancer cells with IC50 values ranging from 2.4 μM to 5.3 μM. The successful cellular uptake was evidenced by X-ray fluorescence imaging on cryo-preserved whole HeLa cells and the sub-cellular localisation was monitored by live-cell fluorescence microscopy. Notably, complex 2 b showed circumvention of acquired anthracycline resistance in K562 leukaemia cells as well as synergistic activity with doxorubicin against both wild-type and anthracycline-resistant Nalm-6 leukaemia cells. Interestingly, sub-cellular localisation towards mitochondria proved to be more important than the compounds' overall cytotoxicity for potent antiproliferative activity and to achieve effective resistance circumvention.

New catalysts for the replacement of fossil fuel processes are important for its industrial application. Saponites represent promising materials for the conversion of ethanol.