Environmental Technology Award

Press Release Nov 18, 2021

Bietigheim-Bissingen, November 18, 2021—Dürr has successfully entered for the Baden-Württemberg Environmental Technology Award and has made the shortlist with two of its products from the environmental technology field: the first is a new resource-saving technology for solvent recovery in battery production; the second is a software solution for the intelligent analysis of process data which helps to save large amounts of CO₂.

With the Environmental Technology Award, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector recognizes outstanding innovations in environmental technology in a total of four categories. Dürr impressed the jury with its solvent recovery in the ‘Material Efficiency’ category and with its software for air pollution control systems in the ‘Measuring and Control Systems, Industry 4.0’ category.

Dürr sees the nomination of its two products as a recognition of the development work it has been undertaking for many years now, and not only in environmental technology. “Through our innovative technologies, we want to help our customers reduce their environmental footprint,” explains Dr. Jochen Weyrauch, Deputy CEO of Dürr AG and responsible for sustainability on the Board of Management. “At the same time, we want to be proactive in fulfilling our responsibility toward the environment.”

In the production of lithium-ion batteries, which is the key technology in electromobility, a number of different solvents are used in the coating system. Thanks to Dürr’s novel technology, these solvents can be removed from the exhaust air and 99 percent of them can be recovered. Without this recovery, the generated exhaust air would have to undergo a thermal purification process, generating additional CO₂ emissions. Dürr’s solution thus contributes to savings on solvent purchasing. This reduces production costs and is also very resource-friendly.

The software that is nominated for the Environmental Technology Award is mainly used in air pollution control systems or systems for decentralized generation of electricity. It enables operators to prevent faults or resolve problems faster in case of emergency. The software can be used in upgrading old systems, thus making them suitable for data analysis and remote access. This leads to less downtime in production. Service engineers can resolve most faults without having to be on site, which reduces response times and saves many tons of CO₂ that would otherwise be generated during business trips.

“The determination and tenacity with which companies are contributing to sustainability and environmental protection through the use of resource-efficient processes and products is impressive,” says Thekla Walker, Minister of the Environment in Baden-Württemberg.

Press photos

Dürr group photo at the Baden-Württemberg Environmental Technology Award — Two of Dürr’s products were among those nominated for the Baden-Württemberg Environmental Technology Award. Delighted with the nomination (from left to right): Dr. Christian Eichhorn, Houver Chabo, Lars Ebinger, and Dr. Sebastian Baumann (CFO of Dürr’s Clean Technology Systems division). (Note: Everyone observed the 3G COVID-19 rule and briefly removed their masks for the photo.) © Martin Stollberg

Dürr’s new resource-saving technology (at the top of a complete system for electrode coating) enables 99 percent of solvents to be recovered during battery production.

Dürr software used in exhaust-air purification systems — The Dürr software nominated for the Environmental Technology Award is mainly used in exhaust-air purification systems or systems for decentralized electricity generation.

About Dürr

The Dürr Group is one of the world's leading mechanical and plant engineering firms with extensive expertise in automation and digitalization/Industry 4.0. Its products, systems and services enable highly efficient and resource-saving manufacturing processes in different industries. The Dürr Group supplies sectors like the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, chemical, pharmaceutical, medical technology and woodworking industries. It generated sales of € 3.32 billion in 2020. The company has around 17,500 employees and 120 business locations in 33 countries. Since February 2021, the majority-owned automation specialist Teamtechnik has also been part of the Group. The Dürr Group operates in the market with the brands Dürr, Schenck and HOMAG and with five divisions:

Paint and Final Assembly Systems: paint shops as well as final assembly, testing and filling technology for the automotive industry, assembly and test systems for medical devices
Application Technology: robot technologies for the automated application of paint, sealants and adhesives
Clean Technology Systems: air pollution control, noise abatement systems and coating systems for battery electrodes
Measuring and Process Systems: balancing equipment and diagnostic technology
Woodworking Machinery and Systems: machinery and equipment for the woodworking industry

Disclaimer

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