IKU Innovation Award
Radio-frequency technology wins IKU 2022
The German Innovation Award for Climate and Environment (IKU) is a major prize of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection. It is awarded every two years, and Kurtz Ersa secures the prize in the “Environmentally Friendly Technologies” category at the eighth award ceremony.
With the Innovation Award IKU, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection honors ideas that show new ways in the field of climate and environmental protection and thus recognizes the commitment of industry and research. Innovative technologies, techniques, processes, products, services and business models for climate and environmental protection are honored in seven categories.
On the competition entry Radio-Frequency Technology (RF) of Kurtz GmbH & Co. KG, the Kurtz developers worked for almost four years. The technology enables the processing of particle foams by electromagnetic waves in the high-frequency range. Compared to conventional steam processing, RF can save up to 70% CO2, 90% energy and 100% water, depending on the material used.
At the IKU 2022, Kurtz entered as a manufacturer for moulding machines with the project “Resource-saving moulding production from bio and recycled materials using radio-frequency”. In addition to the savings mentioned above, RF technology offers a sustainable solution for the cycle, as it achieves recycling rates of up to 100% and for the first time also allows the processing of biological materials such as corn grits – a by-product in food production that is usually disposed.
Kurtz´s RF technology opens up access to many other markets; potential fields of application are primarily a wide variety of component groups in the e-mobility industry. New business areas are also emerging through the processing of high-temperature resistant materials with a welding temperature of up to 250 °C, for example in the aviation or automotive sectors.
Contribution to climate and environmental protection
This year´s IKU was awarded to 150 companies with pioneering products and services. The high-ranking jury made its decisions on the basis of scientific assessments by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI. Criteria included innovation performance, contribution to climate and environmental protection, market potential of the innovation, benefits for consumers and companies, and possible synergy effects. In January 2022, 21 projects were nominated for the IKU 2022 by the jury, which stood out from the other applicants as the best innovations for protecting the climate and environment. 25,000 Euro in prize money will go to Kurtz GmbH & Co. KG as the winner of the category “Environmentally Friendly Technologies”, which will be used for further support of climate and environmental protection activities and for further investments in research and development of new technologies. Kurtz Ersa is proud to stand as an award winner alongside big players such as HeidelbergCement and Grundfos.
Kurtz Managing Director and Chairman Uwe Rothaug is delighted with the award: “It was a great surprise and great honor to receive this award. It is a great feeling that our employees´ years of work have paid off. An even greater gift is knowing that we are contributing to climate protection with our development and helping to drive the circular economy in our industry.” Kurtz Managing Director and COO Matthias Hofmann adds: “We are extremely pleased that, after winning the Bavarian Energy Award 2020, we have now also been honored at a national level with the IKU 2022 for our RF technology and that we were able to convince such a high-caliber jury of our project. The award spurs us on to set new ambitious goals in the development of sustainable technologies and to continuously develop and optimize existing processes in terms of sustainability.”