Carlos Andrés García Velásquez as “Green Talent” at the Fraunhofer WKI

(openPR) The young researcher Carlos Andrés García Velásquez from Colombia has been working at the Fraunhofer WKI since June 2017 within the framework of a scholarship. As one of the winners of the so-called “Green Talents Award” 2016, he will carry out research in the Surface Technology department for three months.

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In his home country, García Velásquez studied engineering sciences at the National University of Colombia, where he successfully completed his master's degree in November 2016. His research in Colombia is focused upon the optimum utilization of agricultural and agro-industrial residues, particularly from coffee production. García Velásquez researched, for example, the chemical characterization of lignocellulosic biomass, the generation of electricity using waste from the stems of coffee plants, and the design and development of small, integrated biorefineries. Due to this topic and his scientific achievements, García Velásquez was chosen for the Green Talents Award.

The Green Talents Award provides Carlos García Velásquez with the possibility of continuing his research in a German research institute. He therefore selected the Fraunhofer WKI in Braunschweig and is now spending three months there, carrying out research into secondary raw materials made from waste wood and their value chain as a key factor for future implementation in biorefineries. Together with Dr. Guido Hora, García Velásquez also worked on a joint publication for an international trade journal as well as other research proposals within this specialist field.

At the end of his stay in Germany, Carlos García Velásquez will apply to the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD in Colombia for a scholarship. The aim is, in collaboration with the Fraunhofer WKI and the Technical University of Braunschweig, to promote further research activities in the topic field, within whose framework he can prepare a dissertation.

The Green Talents Award of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research annually honors 25 young scientists from all over the world who each make a special commitment towards sustainability in their home country. Amongst other things, the winners are given the opportunity to spend up to three months at a German research institute of their choice and to continue their work there.

Weitere Informationen:
- https://www.wki.fraunhofer.de/en/press-media/pi_Carlos_Velasquez_as_Green_Talent_at_WKI.html

Quelle: idw