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More InformationMelanie Walther & David May
Dr Melanie Walther, Leader of the “EcoPBS” early-career research group, funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR), and Professor David May, director of the Faserinstitut Bremen (FIBER), offer a glimpse into their research: Together, they work towards creating an environmentally and climate-friendly circular economy.
Transcript
00:00 – 00:13
David May: We can really go from chemistry all the way to the finished product, and that wouldn’t work on its own.
Question: What does your collaboration look like specifically?
00:13 – 00:17
Melanie Walther: We want to produce a bioplastic that can then be further processed into fibers, meaning it can be used in textiles, but also, at the same time, to strengthen the region and further bring Bremen and Oldenburg together.
00:27 – 00:54
David May: Basically, we’re closing the process chain. Thanks to Melanie’s work, we’re able to produce bioplastics from waste. And in my research group, we can then produce fibers from those plastics. That means we can really go from chemistry all the way to the finished product, and that wouldn’t work on its own.
Melanie Walther: We want to convert organic waste into something with added value. And if you add further processing steps to that, then we end up with bioplastic.
00:55 – 01:09
David May: Of course, we’ve each made progress on these individual topics on our own. We’ve been working with bio-based plastics at our institute and have already spun them into fibers. But we’ve never had the opportunity to collaborate directly with someone who actually manufactures these plastics.
Question: What defines your colleague?
01:09 – 01:35
Melanie Walther: David is very goal-oriented and passionate about his research. And he wants to drive it forward to make the world a better place.
David May: That she’s very strong in foundational science, but at the same time has a bit of that start-up spirit, that entrepreneurial drive, and really thinks about the application even in basic research – and is truly committed to bringing her research all the way to the application stage, where it can then have a real impact on society.
Question: What might be your next work/research goal?
01:35 – 01:44
Melanie Walther: So that it is not only sold or used as a compound on the market – for example, in 3D printing – but can also actually be used to produce fibers.