17 THE BIOBASED LAB AT CONNECTR: BRINGING TOGETHER DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES At Cleantech Park Arnhem, HAN University of Applied Sciences has a hybrid learning environment called HAN@Connectr. The Biobased Innovations research group has been present in Arnhem since 2024 with a new biobased lab and project office, where students carry out relevant research and development projects. In the lab, students, researchers, lecturers, and business partners collaborate and bring together the expertise of biology, chemistry, (mechanical) engineering, and industrial product design. Technical education assistant Anne Selten maintains and coordinates the lab: "Sefanne Hakken, Peter Vink (both employees of HAN, red.) and I started in 2021 designing and setting up the lab. And we're quite proud of the result." The lab houses equipment for research into new biobased molecules and biomaterials with students from different disciplines. This includes equipment that pulls materials apart to test the strength of adhesives in building materials to high-performance liquid chromatography for separating biomolecules. It furthermore includes bioreactors for cultivating fungi, as well as thermographic cameras and equipment for measuring heat transfer. In the minor program Biobased Innovations students first deepen their knowledge within their own discipline biorefinery, fermentation and biodesign. Thereafter, they work on innovative research projects that focus on the raw material transition. One project example is the development of biobased insulation materials. Many of these materials currently in use, such as glass wool and stone wool, have a significant environmental impact and are not circular. These can be replaced by 3D printed mycelium materials with insulating properties. If this succeeds, a more sustainable and healthier insulation material can be created for houses in much more flexible forms. Another example is the Connecting Fibers project. Project leader Karin Struijs: "How cool would it be if we could develop an adhesive based on side streams from fibrous crops which can glue together the same fibrous crops to form a fully biobased wood panel or construction material.” To achieve a successful result, this project involves multidisciplinary collaboration. Biology and chemistry students are the experts in the lab, developing the actual adhesive. Construction engineers are needed to test whether this adhesive meets construction requirements. "But of course, it's also possible that we produce an adhesive that doesn't achieve our end goal, but that can be used for something else", says Struijs. "That's why we also involve students from the Industrial Product Design program of HAN." Different students participated in the project for their minor in Biobased Innovations. They chose this minor because they want to make a tangible contribution to sustainability in society through their studies. "Only by working together - companies, research, and education - and by collaborating across disciplines we can truly make impact and contribute to reducing the overall carbon footprint", says minor coordinator Richèle Wind. connectr.nu
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