Biogenic Materials

What does this program cover?

In the light of the dramatic environmental and climate changes in recent years and the finiteness of fossil raw materials like petroleum, material sciences specializing in biogenic materials is seen as a progressive and visionary discipline. The course “Biogenic Materials” provides specific knowledge about biodegradable, eco-friendly, or environmental damage-reducing materials obtained from renewable resources. The course also creates awareness of sustainable use of resources among the future experts in material science. The technical details of extraction, transformation, shaping and processing, possible areas of application and disposal as well as particular structure-property interrelation of materials of all classes are further aspects that are covered in the course. Graduates of the course will possess the competences essential for developing innovative biogenic material systems for downstream users such as process engineers, civil engineers, and (business) economists. The prospective engineers not only acquire a deep understanding of the need to act sustainably, but also the necessary skills to do so.

Fields of training and research include the development of alternatives to petroleum-based plastics as well as the return to, the reassessment, and the further development of traditional methods of producing and processing materials. Furthermore, learning from nature, bioinspired material synthesis and structuring are also part of the course.

Deep insights into structure-property relationships and their application in technology, coupled with an awareness of the necessity for integrated, resource-conserving planning and acting from production to disposal are some of the key abilities of the graduates of this course; which make them the urgently needed experts in research, business management, politics, and teaching in a bio-economy defined future.