Fraunhofer-Institute for Wood Research - Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut (WKI) in Braunschweig (Germany).

This institute specializes in wood and fiber raw materials - manufacturing processes, finishes, preservation, prevention of polluting emissions in wood, environmental research, recycling, and restoration.

Wood is traditional raw material in manufacturing and construction, but with a future to it as well. Wood itself is produced in an environmentally friendly way and is replenishable. Products made of wood have exeptionally good physical properties and ideal as to their effect on the environment.
At the Fraunhofer-Institute for Research on Wood, within the Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut, WKI, in Braunschweig studies are carried out on current as well and promising new ways of utilizing wood and other replenishable raw materials.
This includes techniques for the manufacturing of plywood and fiberboard, finishing techniques, wood preservation, environmental research, and recycling. Some of the outstanding achievements of this institute have been:

• developing new kinds of building materials out of plywood and fiberboard
• detecting and reducing formaldehyde emissions in wood building materials and furniture,
• determining gaseous emissions in construction material and reducing the level of VOC (volatile organic compounds) and unpleasant smelling emissions
• developing environment-friendly and durable paints for furniture and uses of wood outdoors.
• testing and improving the properties of wood products by means of non harmful techniques like thermography, sonography, and nuclear magnetic resonance
• the recycling of waste products and discarded furniture in the manufacturing of plywood and fiberboard.

The WKI works jointly with other European institutes involved in research on wood as well as businesses in the InnovaWood Initiative. The institute has also untertaken field research abroad for example in south east Asia. In that case there is being developed a process of high grade utilization of waste products from palm tree growing and palm oil production.
Our research and development efforts are aimed at optimizing the utilization of wood as a raw material and improving the quality of wood products. We especial focus on preserving old wooden constructions, the restoration of frame houses, and to developing and testing modern day wood construction.
As a certified testing center the WKI can undertake testing of materials and quality control. It provides appraisals of damage claims, and consultation as to questions of rennovation. Within the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft organizational structure we belong to the Building Materials and Components Association, as well as the Allianz Vision, where the expertise of twelve different institutes join together in the area of image processing.

Fraunhofer-Institut für Holzforschung
Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut - WKI
Bienroder Weg 54 E
38108 Braunschweig
Tel.: 0531 / 2155-212
Fax: 0531 / 2155-200