The project was launched to bridge the gap between laboratory‑scale aerogel production and industrial pilot plants by creating a central facility that can generate comprehensive supercritical drying data for a wide range of aerogel formulations. The lack of suitable instrumentation at intermediate scales had previously prevented the collection of kinetic and process data necessary for scaling up, limiting the transfer of research findings to commercial applications. To address this, the consortium designed a modular system that can be rapidly configured for different drying requirements, enabling the capture of drying profiles while accounting for energy and material inputs at the relevant scale. A key feature of the system is an integrated solvent recycling loop, which becomes increasingly important as scale grows and directly contributes to energy efficiency and reduced CO₂ emissions.
The technical core of the facility relies on state‑of‑the‑art spectroscopic techniques for online, inline monitoring of the drying process. Raman spectroscopy is employed to track mass transport and concentration gradients within the drying chambers, providing data with a temporal resolution of a few milliseconds. This high‑speed measurement capability allows the capture of multi‑component systems and the assessment of how different organic constituents and gases influence drying kinetics. By combining these real‑time data streams with detailed process models, the project aims to produce a robust database of drying kinetics that can be used to optimize process parameters, predict product quality, and evaluate energy consumption across a spectrum of aerogel types.
The consortium is anchored by the University of Hamburg (TUHH), which leads the design, engineering, and construction of the facility. Industry partners contribute process specifications, operational expertise, and access to pilot‑scale equipment for validation. The project is part of the broader “Contribution of Aerogels to Energy Efficiency” cluster, which brings together academic and industrial stakeholders to accelerate aerogel technology. Additionally, the initiative is linked to the European COST Action AERoGELS (CA18125), which has already fostered collaboration among 40 European countries and 7 associated nations, providing a wider network for knowledge exchange and training of specialists in sustainable aerogel technologies.
The project follows a structured work‑package schedule: initial planning and process concept development, detailed engineering and component selection, construction and commissioning of the modular drying units, and finally data acquisition and analysis. Throughout the project, the consortium will generate large volumes of kinetic data that are currently unavailable, offering new insights into solvent extraction, pore structure evolution, and the impact of drying conditions on final material properties. The expected outcomes include quantified energy savings and CO₂ reductions associated with optimized supercritical drying, as well as a set of validated measurement protocols that can be adopted by other research groups and industry players.
Funding for the project comes from public sources, reflecting the strategic importance of advancing aerogel technology for energy efficiency. The results will be disseminated through peer‑reviewed publications and conference presentations, ensuring that the knowledge gained is accessible to the wider scientific and industrial communities. By providing a scalable, data‑rich platform for aerogel drying, the project lays the groundwork for reliable, environmentally friendly production processes that can meet the growing demand for high‑performance aerogel materials.