GKD presented an innovative filter system for tire abrasion for the first time at a press meeting on the second day of IFAT. Together with Daniel Venghaus, scientist at the Technical University of Berlin, our R&D Manager Dominik Herper presented the new road abrasion filter to the specialist audience for the first time. The new filter system has proven in field tests that it can filter out 97 percent of all solids (TSS) from road runoff. Thanks to the interaction between the design and the filter fabric used, the road runoff filter can be easily integrated into existing road drainage systems and can usually be cleaned as part of the usual maintenance cycles.

Strategic focus and sustainability

Lara Kufferath, Dr. Stephan Kufferath, and Dr. Daniel Holstein were also present at the premiere. Together with Ilonka von Bodman, they form the management of the GKD Group. Lara Kufferath took the opportunity to reaffirm the company’s strategic focus on sustainability. She classified the development of the road runoff filter in a whole range of innovations and product solutions with which GKD helps companies in numerous sectors to operate more sustainably.

The global interest and growth in innovative environmental technologies is also confirmed by the IFAT Munich press office. With around 142,000 visitors from 170 countries and more than 3,200 exhibitors from 61 countries, the 2024 trade fair was just as successful as in the record year of 2018. Technologies to tackle the major challenges of our time, such as climate change, resource conservation and the circular economy, are in demand across all borders. According to the organizers, this is also reflected in the sharp rise in visitor numbers from China, the USA, Australia, India, Japan and South Korea.

Apart from the road runoff filter, GKD also presented vortex-based separation units for household appliances and innovations in the field of sewage sludge dewatering at IFAT. These technologies underline GKD’s position as a leading provider of filtration solutions. The exhibition was a great success and we thank all visitors and partners for their interest. We look forward to future joint projects and developments. The next IFAT will take place in May 2026.