FUNGAS Project Meeting in Freising

The FUNGAS partners from Universität Innsbruck, ZHAW, and LfL came together in Freising for a focused project meeting that tied together everything from controlled fungal experiments to full-scale biogas operations.

The visit started at LfL ILT, where partners explored both the small, precise lab reactors and the larger technical-scale systems. Seeing these setups side by side made the core challenge clear: promising microbial ideas mean nothing unless they work when scaled up.That contrast shaped the discussions around biomass breakdown, process stability, and how anaerobic fungi can actually contribute to improving biogas efficiency.

A visit to the Dürnast biogas plant (TUM) added the practical reality check. Guided by Dr. Veronika Flad and Diana Young, the team walked through feedstock preparation, process control, and the mid-scale setup used in the LCR-Pilze project. It was the perfect reminder that scaling biology is never clean but the opportunities are significant if done right.

Back in Freising, partners aligned their experimental results, interpreted new data, and sharpened the plan for the upcoming project phase. Even hybrid participation worked smoothly, keeping all partners connected and contributing.

Of course, the team dinner also played its part — the kind of off-duty moment that resets everyone and makes collaboration smoother when the serious work continues.

Overall, the Freising meeting strengthened exactly what FUNGAS needs: tight coordination between microbiology and engineering, grounded in real system insights rather than theory.

More updates will follow as we move into the next round of experiments and system integration.