Bioeconomy News

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Serumflasche mit Clostridium thermocellum, welches mit Filterpapier als Kohlenstoffquelle wächst. Die Gelbe Affinitätssubstanz YAS bindet an Zellulose. Das Filterpapier wird während des Wachstums verbraucht.
Sealed serum bottle with Clostridium thermocellum growing with filter paper as carbon source. The yellow affinity substance YAS binds to cellulose. The filter paper is consumed during growth.

How pigments convert plant biomass

Jena researchers have elucidated the molecular structure of the so-called Yellow Affinity Substance (YAS) and provide new insights into how the yellow pigments produced by the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum convert cellulose into sugar.

Pflaumen am Baum
Fruit trees such as plums are also infested by Pseudomonas syringae.

New bacterial natural substances discovered

By analysing the genetic material of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae, researchers in Jena have identified two new families of natural substances that could be of interest for agriculture and pharmaceutical research.

Die Quinoa-Felder der kleinbäuerlichen Gemeinschaften liegen direkt am Ufer des Titicacasees.

Climate-resilient quinoa cultivated

With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), an international research team, including the University of Hohenheim, was able to develop three climate-adapted quinoa varieties for the Peruvian highlands.

Künstlerische Darstellung des Inneren eines Cyanobakteriums. Hier konzentrieren Kondensate (Kugeln im Bild) Enzyme, die im Rahmen der Photosynthese CO2 fixieren.

Photosynthesis research for efficient carbon capture

Two newly founded research groups at the Max Planck Society are developing more efficient methods of photosynthesis to break down and bind CO2 with the help of sunlight.

Schadflächen im Harz.
Damaged areas in the Harz Mountains.

Forest living labs for the future of forests

German forestry and timber research is strategically realigning itself with forest living labs in the Harz Mountains and Lower Bavaria. The SURVEY joint project combines scientific expertise and practical experience in an interdisciplinary approach.

Internationale Bioökonomie-Konferenz in Halle

Bioeconomy in a Shifting Global Landscape

At the 13th International Bioeconomy Conference in Halle, the spotlight was on the role of the bioeconomy in a world shaped by overlapping crises and evolving geopolitical priorities. In a global economy that is increasingly fragile, companies are under pressure to future-proof their operations - while also confronting the complexities of transitioning away from fossil-based systems.

Drohne düngt das Feld
Digital technologies can make agriculture more sustainable.

Smart farming also profitable for small farms

Researchers show how digitalisation can also make small farms ready to compete.

Im neuen Technologiezentrum lassen sich Prozesse zur Herstellung neuer Lebensmittel im übertragbaren Pilotmaßstab evaluieren und die Produktion mit Hilfe von Zellkulturen und mikrobieller Fermentation testen, die mit vor- und nachgeschalteten Prozessstufen verbunden sind.
In 2023, the New Food Application and Technology Centre of Excellence - ATC for short - was opened in Hildesheim.

GEA opens pilot plant in the USA

With the opening of a new technology centre in the US state of Wisconsin, Düsseldorf-based plant manufacturer GEA is taking a further step towards advancing food innovations based on alternative proteins.

Eine Präsentation der im Rahmen des Projektes "reGIOcycle" entwickelten Produkte, darunter auch der Augsburger Becher.
A presentation of the products developed as part of the reGIOcycle project, including the Augsburg cup.

Solutions for an efficient circular economy

Using the Augsburg region as an example, a research consortium is showing how plastics can be recycled and replaced by bio-based plastics.

Chemielabor
In order to accelerate the transformation towards green chemistry, many laboratories are conducting research into sustainable chemicals.

Customising bio-based solvents

Magdeburg chemists are working with partners to research solvents made from renewable raw materials in order to replace petroleum-based substances and make chemical processes recyclable. The work is supported by the German Research Foundation.

Regenerative Landwirtschaft bezieht sich auf landwirtschaftliche Praktiken, die zu einer Humusanreicherung im Boden beitragen. Dadurch wird Kohlenstoff gespeichert, die Bodenstruktur verbessert, die Artenvielfalt erhöht und Erträge gesichert.

Study shows potential of regenerative agriculture

A study by the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture shows that regenerative farming can achieve yields that are comparable to or even higher than those of conventional agriculture. It is considered to be the world's largest study of regenerative farming systems carried out by farmers to date.

Gelbrost ist eine Pilzerkrankung und eine erhebliche Bedrohung für den weltweiten Weizenanbau. Typisch für einen Befall sind gelbe Streifen auf den Blättern der Weizenpflanze.

Traditional wheat varieties are resistant to fungi

The fungal disease yellow rust jeopardises wheat cultivation worldwide. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now discovered genes with natural resistance in Asian wheat varieties. These could help to breed robust wheat in the future and thus strengthen global food security.

Das Team um Institutsleiter Prof. Ralph Bock (links) und Projektleiter Dr. Daniel Dunkelmann (rechts) wird in Kürze Nutzpflanzen der nächsten Generation mit optimierten Chloroplastengenomen entwickeln.

Millions in funding for plant genome

With funding totalling 11 million euros from the British innovation agency ARIA, the Potsdam MPI of Molecular Plant Physiology is launching the SyncSol project: a universal plant genome is to make crops more efficient, climate-resilient and pharmaceutically usable.

Agroforst, hier als Alleenkultur, kann die Erträge von landwirtschaftlich genutzten Pflanzen stabilisieren – selbst bei schwankender Verfügbarkeit von Wasser.

Agroforestry stabilises yields

A long-term study by the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart shows that agroforestry makes agricultural systems in temperate climate zones more resilient to climate risks. It therefore represents a resilient and sustainable alternative to conventional agriculture in Europe.

Verschiedene Pilzarten, isoliert von Gebäudefassaden in der slowenischen Küstenstadt Izola.

Living colour for facades

An international research team involving Graz University of Technology is working on integrating microorganisms into facade paints. The aim is to protect the exterior walls of buildings, bind CO2 and break down air pollutants.

Die Forschenden zeigten den Befragten Bilder von landwirtschaftlich genutzten Flächen und identischer Landschaftsszenen, in die sie zum Vergleich Solarpaneele einmontiert hatten.

Agrivoltaics more accepted by the population

Photovoltaics on agricultural land is more accepted by the population than solar installations on unused open land. This is the result of a survey conducted by the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.

Tomaten
According to the Leibniz Network's SARAS concept, healthy foods such as vegetables should also be affordable.

Signposts for crisis-proof food systems

The Leibniz Research Network ‘Green Nutrition - Healthy Society’ provides recommendations for the reorganisation of food and agricultural systems, taking sustainability and resilience into account.

Biopestizid als Alternative zu chemischen Pestiziden, um Böden und Artenvielfalt zu schützen.

Seed funding for SenseUP's biopesticides

The Cologne-based start-up SenseUP has concluded seed financing totalling 2.4 million euros. It will use the capital to drive forward its research activities in order to bring new biopesticides to market maturity.

Kulturen der mikroskopisch kleinen Grünalge Chlamydomonas reinhardtii im Labor
Liquid cultures of the microscopic green algae C.reinhardtii in the laboratory

A guide to algae cultivation

How can the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii be reliably cultivated in the laboratory? - A handbook by researchers from Bayreuth and Göttingen provides answers.

Wurde das Gencluster in den rot markierten Bakterien ausgeschaltet, konnten sie kein Detergens mehr synthetisieren. Sie konnten sich dann nicht mehr so gut an die Oberfläche von Öltröpfchen anheften (links) wie normalerweise (rechts).
If the gene cluster in the red-labelled bacteria was switched off, they could not synthesise any more detergent. They were then no longer able to adhere to the surface of oil droplets (left) as well as they normally do (right).

How a marine bacterium digests oil

Researchers were able to clarify how the oil-eating marine bacterium Alcanivorax borkumensis synthesises a natural detergent to destroy the alkanes contained in crude oil.