A team of researchers headed by Werner E.G. Müller at the University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, have made an interesting discovery in their search for biocompatible materials for use in medicine. The source: marine sponges.
Residential areas and industry produce significant quantities of sewage sludge, wastewater and waste materials – otherwise known as ‘waste streams’. Hidden inside these streams are substantial quantities of carbon that remain essentially unexploited. For the chemicals industry, this carbon could serve as a fundamental building block for other useful substances.
Components from the sap of the caper spurge plant could be an ingredient in future biofuels. And because the plant grows well in poor soils, there would be no competition with food crops.
In many industries, enzymes are the secret star of the show. For example, the tiny biocatalysts are a key component of modern detergents. Now, the Monheim-based biotech company Evocatal is coordinating the ‘Functionalisation of Polymers (FuPol)’ strategic alliance to further unlock the potential of enzymes.
Cough mixtures that taste sweet, but are still healthy - natural sweeteners suche as these are in the focus of the strategic alliance NatLifE 2020.The consortium of 22 partners from industry and academia have received millions of euros from the BMBF.
