Research

According to the European Joint Research Service Service (JRC, 2023), 62% of food waste occurs at the consumer level and is responsible for more than 70% of the environmental impact of food waste, emphasising the need to focus on prevention measures in households. One reason for food waste in households has been identified as incorrect storage. Measures that impart appropriate knowledge about the correct storage of fruit and vegetables can therefore be expected to have a corresponding waste prevention potential. Food routines that encompass lifestyles and habits have great potential for minimising food waste. 46% of consumers would like information on how to handle food correctly/better and how to avoid food waste directly in retail outlets. As part of this project, awareness-raising measures for the correct storage of fruit and vegetables are therefore being developed, tested and evaluated directly at the point of sale for the first time in cooperation with the Austrian food retail chain Hofer KG as a project partner. Hofer customers are intensively involved in both the development and evaluation of the measures by means of interviews at the PoS and focus groups in advance.

Austria's endeavour to achieve climate neutrality by 2040 is an ambitious and crucial goal that requires a comprehensive and cross-sectoral transformation. Waste management plays a central role in this context, as it offers both challenges and opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This R&D service aims to develop innovative solutions and strategies to lead the waste management sector in Austria towards climate neutrality, especially in the area of thermal treatment of municipal waste. The motivation for this project lies in the realisation that, despite ongoing efforts to reduce and recycle waste, certain emissions, particularly from municipal waste incineration plants, are unavoidable. About half of the CO2 emissions from municipal waste incineration plants (subject to strong fluctuations and depending on the input material) are currently considered to have an impact on the climate because they are of fossil origin. By investigating efficient Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technologies for this sector, the project offers the opportunity to make a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A further driver for the project is the need to understand and shape the economic and social impact of these technological changes. It is crucial that the transition to climate neutrality in waste management is not only environmentally, but also socially just and economically viable. This requires analysing the cost structures, possible financing models and the effects on pricing in the waste management sector as much detail as possible. In addition, one focus is on analysing the integration of CCUS technologies into the existing energy system, both at plant level and in the nationwide energy supply.

In the era of global digitalisation, the Internet of Things (IoT), an interconnected network of devices sharing data, has revolutionised industries and daily life. At the core of the IoT's transformative power lies the pivotal role of human machine interfaces (HMIs; i.e., displays), in enabling humans to interact with and derive value (e.g., visual representations of data, monitoring of processes, control devices, etc.) from IoT-collected data. As a result, displays have become ubiquitous, shaping our digital experiences and interactions with the IoT. However, the proliferation of displays must be accompanied by careful sustainability considerations, particularly regarding power consumption. Reflective electrochromic displays (ECDs) offer a sustainable, ultra-low power IoT-HMI solution, with exceptional power efficiency (0.002 mW/cm2), no backlighting, compatibility with flexible substrates (f-ECDs) and additive manufacturing (AM) production (e.g., screen printing), enabling seamless integration and cost-effective, scalable production. However, critical challenges are yet hindering their large-scale use, including: i) the lack of multicoloured high-performance EC materials (ECMs), ii) the need for industry-compatible formulations suitable for testing in industrial processes and commercial devices, iii) the absence of optimised and sustainable f-ECD architectures to enhance material performance, and recyclability, and iv) incomplete sustainability and societal impact considerations. Addressing these challenges is of utmost importance to enable the successful development and widespread adoption of f-ECDs IoT-HMI. The HybrIoT project takes a comprehensive approach to address these challenges by harnessing the collective expertise of the project partners. This approach integrates multiple disciplines, including chemistry, materials science, device engineering, and manufacturing, to foster a multidisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration in the development of the next generation f-ECDs. Specifically, HybrIoT will develop innovative hybrid ECMs by combining multicoloured pyridine functionalised polythiophene polymers (Pyr-PT) with tungsten oxide quantum dots (WO3-QDs). This mixing of materials addresses stability and switching time issues, resulting in a synergistic material, able to deliver performances of interest for commercial applications (ΔT>30%; cyclability >5K cycles in f-ECDs; switching speed <5 sec). By integrating directing supramolecular interactions (i.e., Pyr coordination with WO3-QDs), the hybrid's structure can be tailored without affecting the manufacturing process. An asymmetric Fabry-Perot nanocavity-type f-ECD will be developed, allowing for further enriched colour states through optical interference effects, eliminating the need for additional materials. The use of QDs, quasi zero-dimensional particles with molecule-like properties, will enable ink formulation for AM platforms like screen printing, to create demonstration matrix ECDs, which will be integrated with other electronic components to simulate an IoT device of commercial interest (e.g., IoT shelf label), and evaluate their performance as HMIs. Throughout the project, HybrIoT remains committed to conducting sustainability and social impact assessments, ensuring responsible innovation. The project considers the broader implications of its technology, taking into account environmental and societal factors and gender balance aspects.