24.04.2017
World première – The first Austrian electric commercial vehicle
The starting pistol has been fired for series production of the first Austrian electric commercial vehicle. The small commercial vehicle from SFL Technologies, named ELI, has been developed specifically for municipalities and is operated completely by electric power making it totally free from emissions. ELI is made 100 percent from Styrian components and is the first Austrian electric vehicle to receive European type approval for road use. Even the manufacture of this innovative product is also carried out using green technologies. Production takes place in a specially constructed hall with solar panels and photovoltaic modules on the roof, which produce more energy than is actually required. More →
11.04.2017
Styrian innovation in use all around the world
Andritz has won a €60 million contract for the modernisation of a hydroelectric power station in Ukraine. Once the water turbines and power generators have been renewed, the Dnipro 1 power plant will contribute more than 15% of the country's electricity supply. The expertise of the Styrian plant engineering manufacturer is also being used in Upper Austria. A new cross-flow impactor shredder has been delivered for use in Europe’s most modern refrigerator recycling plant at UFH RE-cycling. The machine, manufactured in Graz, is the heart of the recycling plant and crushes refrigeration units in order to obtain valuable secondary raw materials. More than 90 percent of these are then recycled as materials. More →
20.03.2017
Novel Styrian generators for the Big Apple
The global metropolis of New York also relies on Styrian expertise. Mobile transformers, developed and manufactured by Siemens in Weiz, should now make the American power grid more resilient to unforeseen power outages. Designed as plug-and-play units, due to their minimal installation time of just 3 days, the transformers will particularly show off their advantages during natural catastrophes or grid outages. Environmental sustainability has also not been forgotten by the Styrian manufacturer of electrical plants. The transformers use insulating fluids that are plant based. More →
14.03.2017
Supercapacitors for electric cars
A team of researchers associated with the Montanuniversität Leoben has succeeded in developing a new technology for improved investigation of the processes occurring in electrical capacitors and the consequent optimisation of capacitor performance. The increased use of alternative energy sources and the growing demand for electric vehicles have triggered enormous advances in research within the field of energy storage. Within this, supercapacitors are particularly seen as a future add-on to conventional batteries. The secret of supercapacitors lies in the internally positioned electrodes of highly porous plastic. These make it possible to store a lot of energy. More →
13.03.2017
The new address for green innovation
The Green Tech Cluster has moved into its new office in the Science Tower at Waagner-Biro-Strasse 100, 8020 Graz, and is breathing life and soul in to this hotspot for green technology with further leading market performers from Styria. The new premises consist of a large modern office and a meeting room equipped with state-of the-art technology. Ideas are best nurtured through personal discussion with the appropriate partners and we therefore would be pleased to welcome you to our new office in the Science Tower. More →
23.02.2017
New waste water separation system
Modern waste water treatment plants filter nutrients, degradable organic compounds, and solids from waste water as well as micro-impurities. However, a multitude of potentially harmful substances are not biologically degraded or adsorbed and can thus enter the environment. SPIN Tec GmbH is currently developing a new way to remove these organic traces and micro-impurities through a process that combines membrane separation with an adsorption stage. The aim is the extended separation of anthropogenic trace elements from biologically purified wastewater. More →
20.02.2017
Advanced electric drive for mobile biomass processing
Komptech has launched a new mobile star screen machine with over-length return, for the processing of recycled timber and biomass, that has the highest level of efficiency due to the advanced electric motor drive. All machine components (such as the screen deck and conveyor belts) are electrically driven. Compared to hydraulic drives, this results in significantly lower energy consumption. In addition, there is an on-board hybrid drive for the drive power, which reduces energy costs by up to 75% when connected to the electricity network. This gives potential savings in CO2 of up to 6.5 tonnes per year, per machine. More →
15.02.2017
Styrian company wins American BioDiesel contract
The Styrian plant builder BDI has won a further major contract in the USA. As the market and technology leader in the construction of custom made BioDiesel plants, the company is to upgrade an existing BioDiesel plant on the east coast. The Styrian company will supply the plant engineering as well as key plant components. The aim of this custom made RetroFit solution is to increase the plant's capacity and expand flexibility in the use of raw materials to include used cooking oils. BDI has successfully executed more than 40 BioDiesel projects over the last 20 years. More →
12.02.2017
Graz University of Technology develops hybrid energy storage
Electric mobility of the future requires a new generation of energy storage systems. Up till now, battery systems in electric cars have been used in conjunction with super condensers; two systems which could not be more different. Batteries store large amounts of energy and release them slowly. Super condensers, on the other hand, store only small amounts of energy, but can deliver them with much greater power. Now a research group, formed around the Graz University of Technology, has succeeded in developing a storage method that combines the advantages of both systems. More →
10.02.2017
New Styrian K project for digital waste management
Six of the seven competence centres, which have a strong focus on environmental technology, will in future be located in Styria. And with the recently approved K projects there is an equally impressive show - seven out eight with Styrian participation. The “ReWaste 4.0” project is one of them. It is concerned with networked recycling processes and is supported by a consortium, which includes the cluster partners Montanuniversität Leoben, Anton Mayer GesmbH, BT-Wolfgang Binder GmbH, Komptech GmbH and Saubermacher Dienstleistungs AG. Other environmentally focused projects approved within this call for proposals are “SafeBattery” and “WoodCar”. More →
05.02.2017
Trends at the international biomass conference in Graz
The 5th Biomass Conference in Graz, from 18th to 20th January, was the meeting place for the world's leading experts in bioenergy. In this international show of innovation, a wide range of topics were highlighted, such as, network and hybrid systems based on modern biomass firing, double fluidised bed gasification using biomass, flexible approaches to operational control for biomass CHP plants, energy recovery through open sorption as well as bioeconomic strategies. More →
01.02.2017
The Best of Green Tech 2016/2017
The turn of the year is a time to both look back and look ahead to new objectives and plans for the future. The Green Tech Cluster exceeded its targets in 2016: 25 industrial innovation projects were initiated and a new record was achieved with 188 partners in the cluster. Growth through green innovation is also our order of the day for 2017 - for example with the Green Tech radar bulletins, a hackathon for your digital services and even more global B2B contacts. International visibility will be further increased through strengthened cooperation with international organisations (ICN, WKO, ICS, etc.) and by providing market information and B2B contacts in existing and new markets. More →
16.11.2016
Pioneer in biodiesel technology celebrates 20-year anniversary
International technology leader in the BioDiesel and BioGas sector, BDI - BioEnergy International AG, looks back on a 20-year track record of success. Launched in 1991 with the opening of the world's first BioDiesel plant in Mureck, under the strategy "from waste to value", this pioneering company has developed today into a global leader and a full service supplier of customised industrial plants for biofuel production, active throughout the world. The Green Tech Cluster congratulates the entire team on their 20th anniversary and wishes them all the best for the future! More →
15.11.2016
Digital Master Plan for Smart City Graz
A road lighting system that detects conditions of the road surface, traffic volumes, pollution from particulates and the parking availability, or sensors that provide information on waste bin levels and measure the water level of rivers: Digital systems are opening up incredible opportunities. To develop this technology further, a digital master plan is being honed to ensure a clear journey towards the Smart City 2050. The roadmap to the green, digital city is being developed as part of the Smart City Tech Lab of the City of Graz, coordinated by the Green Tech Cluster, in cooperation with the world's leading companies CISCO, NTS and IBM. More →
14.11.2016
Pump specialist Bauer opens plant in Brazil
In Brazil the Styrian pump specialist Bauer has opened the new "Bauer do Brazil" plant with an area of around 37,000 m2, laying the foundations for an extensive coverage of Brazil with modern irrigation systems. Pivot plants for the irrigation of a total area of 14,000 ha/year as well as Rainstar drum irrigation machines for 5000 ha/year are now being produced in the factory. In a further stage of development, equipment for wastewater, such as separation, pumping and stirring technology, will be manufactured. More →
11.11.2016
Intelligent recycling plant for Malaysia
ANDRITZ MeWa supplies the first automatic recycling plant for refrigerators and electronic scrap to Penang, Malaysia. Starting in the middle of 2017, around 300,000 refrigerators and up to 60,000 tonnes of e-scrap, such as washing machines, household appliances and computers, will be processed there annually. The central element is the QZ 2000 cross-flow shredder, which separates the individual fractions and separates out batteries and capacitors without pollutants. In addition, the encapsulated system ensures that released gases, such as CFCs and pentane, are extracted and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner when processing refrigeration and air-conditioning units. More →
10.11.2016
Fewer chemicals in electroplating for the first time
For the first time, AEE INTEC, together with Rotreat, has succeeded in making a fully automated processing plant suitable for electroplating baths based on a technology not normally used for electroplating, namely membrane distillation. During the production cycle, electroplating baths are continuously diluted and the chemicals are regularly replaced. By the use of membrane distillation, the process water is extracted and the desired quality is achieved without additional chemicals. This environmentally and resource saving innovation has gained them the ACR Cooperation Award. More →
10.11.2016
Prefabricated Roofboxes Create New Living Space on Multi-Storey Building Roofs
The new Roofbox from AEE INTEC and its partners is the advanced solution for meeting the growing demand for accommodation space, especially in urban areas. The prefabricated timber room modules can be placed on existing buildings, attached to them or used as an independent, barrier-free house. The room modules are delivered as prefabricated units, together with a photovoltaic system, so they offer distinct advantages in fast construction time. You can currently visit the show site of the company at Haas Fertigbau, in Großwilfersdorf. More →
26.09.2016
New plastic recycling and self-healing plastics
Through its technical excellence and advanced solutions in plastics the PCCL (Polymer Competence Center Leoben) has been given the go-ahead for the K1 research centre. The centre will be developing new potential applications for plastics in the aerospace and automotive industries right up to plastics with self-healing properties. As a result, the PCCL is setting new international trends in the plastics industry: The reuse of recyclate from piping systems and the use of novel simulation methods for improvement and increased efficiency in production processes. Around € 23 m. will be made available over the next four years. More →
23.09.2016
Facility opens for industrial battery recycling
The Saubermacher subsidiary REDUX has its sights set on becoming the European market leader in battery recycling. Around 80% of batteries, such as alkaline-manganese or zinc-carbon cells, are recycled at the Offenbach am Main site. The new treatment plant separates up to 25,000 tonnes of batteries per year into individual components that are reused as secondary raw materials. This is the first time that recycling of the batteries has reached an industrial scale. More →