The Hessen town of Zwingenberg has been one of the main locations of German industrial biotechnology. Originally a technology start-up, today Brain AG has grown into a corporation of six companies with 240 employees.
Phosphate is not just a vital element for humans, in addition to nitrogen, the mineral is one of the most important plant nutrients. Since Germany does not have its own natural resources, the raw material has to be imported in large quantities from abroad where it is extracted from mines.
Algae are a rich source of valuable substances, which are prized in both the pharma and cosmetic industries. But there’s a lot more than meets the eye with the microscopic organism: their supporting skeletal structure is made from a substance called alginate.
Healthy nutrients are found in many fruits and vegetables, but vast quantities must be consumed to achieve an efficient dose of the natural compounds because they are often low-concentrated in plants.
At the Global Bioeconomy Summit in Berlin, about 700 participants from 82 nations set themselves the goal of increasing the involvement of the bioeconomy in sustainable development and the battle against climate change.
Bioplastics may be biobased, but they are not necessarily environmentally friendly. In addition, the basic chemical building blocks for bioplastic production are still mostly produced from the starchy fruits of agricultural crops.
