{"id":6388,"date":"2026-04-27T11:07:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T09:07:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northwest-alliance.de\/?page_id=6388"},"modified":"2026-04-27T12:25:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T10:25:31","slug":"detailseite-we-are-connected-walther-may","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/northwest-alliance.de\/en\/detailseite-we-are-connected-walther-may\/","title":{"rendered":"Detailseite We are connected: Walther & May"},"content":{"rendered":"

WE ARE CONNECTED<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>
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Melanie Walther & David May<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Dr Melanie Walther, Leader of the \u201cEcoPBS\u201d 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.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

Transcript<\/h3>\n

00:00 \u2013 00:13
\nDavid May: We can really go from chemistry all the way to the finished product, and that wouldn’t work on its own. <\/p>\n

Question: What does your collaboration look like specifically?<\/h4>\n

00:13 \u2013 00:17
\nMelanie 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.<\/p>\n

00:27 \u2013 00:54
\nDavid May: Basically, we\u2019re closing the process chain. Thanks to Melanie\u2019s work, we\u2019re 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. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

00:55 \u2013 01:09
\nDavid May: Of course, we\u2019ve each made progress on these individual topics on our own. We\u2019ve been working with bio-based plastics at our institute and have already spun them into fibers. But we\u2019ve never had the opportunity to collaborate directly with someone who actually manufactures these plastics. <\/p>\n

Question: What defines your colleague?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

01:09 \u2013 01:35
\nMelanie 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. <\/p>\n

David May: That she\u2019s 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 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

Question: What might be your next work\/research goal?<\/h4>\n

01:35 \u2013 01:44
\nMelanie Walther: So that it is not only sold or used as a compound on the market \u2013 for example, in 3D printing \u2013 but can also actually be used to produce fibers.<\/p>\n<\/div>