The Christian Doppler Society awarded the prestigious Christian Doppler Laboratory Grant to Ass.Prof. MSc Dr. tech. Hubert Hettegger from the Institute of Chemistry of Renewable Resources at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) in 2022. Ass. Prof. Hettegger will lead the project for the next seven years. The Christian Doppler Labor for Cellulose High-Tech Materials receives funding from Papierfabrik Wattens GmbH & Co KG, Metadynea Austria GmbH, Lenzing AG and Vienna Textile Lab (VTL GmbH) as industrial partners and from the Federal Ministry Republic of Austria of Labour and Economy.
The research in this project will cover the application properties and characterization of cellulosic materials and their sustainable production and manufacturing processes.
“For the Vienna Textile Lab as a startup, the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Cellulose High-Tech Materials represents an outstanding opportunity to conduct application-oriented basic research. In particular, the long-term commitment to collaboration enables us to pursue sustainable research and delve deeper Into the subject matter alongside BOKU and our Industrial partners.” Karin Fleck
Stepping away from petrochemical linear value chains, the process of biorefining and the accompanying circular processes will lead the way to a more biobased and sustainable future In the chemical, pulp, paper, and fiber industries. Applying the principles of green chemistry and focussing on circular processes is a major part of the research conducted in the coming years.
Under the attendance of the General Secretary of the Christian Doppler Society, Dr. Jürgen Pripfl, the Mayor of Tulln, Mag. Peter Eisenschenk and the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Boku, Univ. Prof Dr Christian Obinger the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Cellulose High-Tech Materials was inaugurated.
“The CD laboratory leader Assistant Professor Hubert Hettegger possesses extensive experience as a research leader in a textile startup. This diverse experience allows him to understand the different perspectives and requirements of both sectors. From a young age, he acquired valuable expertise in the private sector and is familiar with the challenges and opportunities that companies face. Through this combination of startup and industry experience, he is highly capable of developing innovative approaches and successfully transferring research outcomes to the industry.” Karin Fleck
About Vienna Textile Lab and their novel microbial dyes
Vienna Textile Lab is an Austrian biotech startup working to produce microbial dyes from naturally occurring microorganisms for textile applications across the textile and fashion industry. Their aim is to create a competitive and more sustainable alternative to traditional synthetic dyes and pigments. With circularity in mind, Vienna Textile Lab enables their customers to create more sustainable products that are less toxic while supporting biodiversity and zero waste, as they shift towards improving production practices.
About the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU)
BOKU is one of the best Life Sciences universities in Europe, distinguished by its holistic approach to research and teaching. Our scientists, students, and graduates work on solutions for burning social issues and for a sustainable future.
About the Institute of Chemistry of Renewable Resources
The Chemistry of Renewable Resources Institute focuses on the chemistry, structure, and analysis of renewable resources, such as celluloses, lignins, new biomaterials, extractives, phenolic antioxidants, biorefineries, biorefinery analytics, and novel separation and analysis methods. It is multi-national and involved in a variety of national and international collaborations, offering various aspects of chemistry and analysis of lignocellulosic materials and products.
About Christian Doppler Laboratory (Christian Doppler Forschungsgesellschaft)
The Christian Doppler Research Society promotes cooperation between science and business. Specifically, this takes place in established research units with fixed terms, in which application-oriented basic research is carried out: Christian Doppler Laboratories at universities and non-university research institutions, Josef Ressel Centers at universities of applied sciences.
see Christian Doppler Society Project Website and Press Release
Contact:
The Social Media Team social.media(at)viennatextilelab.at
Scientific Contact BOKU:
Ass.Prof. Dr. Hubert Hettegger, MSc.
Institut für Chemie nachwachsender Rohstoffe
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
hubert.hettegger@boku.ac.at
Tel.: 01 47654 77414