Bioeconomy News

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Plastikflaschen recyceln
Biotechnological processes can make plastics recycling more sustainable.

Recycling synthetic polymers with enzymes

Researchers have identified new biocatalysts that can make recycling of the plastics polyurethane and polyvinyl alcohol resource-efficient and environmentally friendly.

 

links und rechts: Johannes Neidel, Hillary Onyebuchi Onyishi (beide Fraunhofer UMSICHT), Mitte: Natividad Jordan Escalona (RWE) an der Anlage in Niederaußem
Left and right: Johannes Neidel, Hillary Onyebuchi Onyishi (both Fraunhofer UMSICHT), center: Natividad Jordan Escalona (RWE) at the plant in Niederaussem.

Sustainable hydrocarbons from biomass

A pyrolysis plant developed by Fraunhofer researchers was commissioned at RWE's Niederaussem research site to convert residual and waste materials into high-quality hydrocarbons.

Bioeconomy in Germany

Now available in English: Bioeconomy in Germany

Last year, the comprehensive brochure “Bioökonomie in Deutschland” was published in a completely revised and updated version. Now the standard work on the bio-based economy in Germany has been translated into English.

Zu Rundballen zusammengepresstes Weizenstroh
Obtaining sustainable chemicals from biomass is not always easy.

New catalysts for biomass utilization

Converting biomass into chemicals is a technical challenge. Supported with 2 million euros from the European Research Council, a Hamburg research team develops new catalysts specifically for this purpose.

Ein junger Mann mit Brille und Laborkittel beschriftet im Labor einen Glaskolben
Prof. Eric Helfrich is developing new methods to track down previously undiscovered natural substances.

DFG funding for search for natural substances

Machine learning is used to detect atypical peptides in bacteria and make them available for use.

Spinnen von AMSilks Seidenprotein
AMSilk's bioengineered spider silk fibers could replace petroleum-based textile fibers made from polyethylene or polyamide.

AMSilk partners with BRAIN Biotech

Biotech companies AMSilk and BRAIN Biotech will collaborate on the development of high-performance protein fibers for the textile industry.

Blick auf die Schrammsteine in der Sächsischen Schweiz
Saxony has a solid raw material base for a bio-based and sustainable economy.

Driving the bioeconomy forward in Saxony

With the event series "Bioeconomy Workshop Saxony", an alliance of business and science aims to bring innovative concepts of the bioeconomy into practice.

Bodenpilz
Soil fungi can promote nutrient uptake by the plant, but they can also cause rot and cause the plant to die.

Dead soil microbes influence the CO2 content

The carbon cycle in soil is significantly influenced by the way microorganisms die.

alter Brauereikessel
Microorganisms such as yeast cells have been used by brewers for centuries as biofactories for beer production.

Field test for optimized cell factories

With an EU grant, Max Planck researchers want to bring their new concept for optimizing microbial production organisms into biotechnological application.

fertig gepresste Rindenplatten
Pressed bark panels

Glue free wood panels from tree bark

Researchers have succeeded in pressing wooden boards from the bark of native trees that do not require glue, thus enabling easy reuse.

Bauarbeiter verlegen ein mannshohes schwarzes Rohr im Boden.
Pipes like this are also mostly made of HDPE today. Now researchers have developed a biodegradable alternative.

Biodegradable alternative to HD polyethylene developed

A special polyester has properties comparable to thermoplastics and is both recyclable and microbially degradable.

Acker-Schmalwand (Arabidopsis thaliana) Versuchspflanzen im Gewächshaus
Researchers used the example of the field thale cress to investigate how plants protect themselves from too much sun.

How plants protect themselves from sun

Plants protect their cells from too much sun with the help of color pigments. The signal for this is given by the sugars from photosynthesis.

Labor
An industry survey conducted by BIO Deutschland shows that the heyday of German biotechnology is over.

Biotechnology sector at a low

After two years of record figures, the mood in the German biotechnology industry is worse than ever. This is shown by the annual survey of the industry association BIO Deutschland for 2022.

Das mittlere der drei Fleischstücke besteht aus Pflanzenfasern.
No difference can be seen: However, the middle of the three pieces of meat is made of plant fibers.

Fresh capital for Project Eaden

Berlin-based food tech startup Project Eaden receives another €2 million in a seed round to further develop its fiber technology for producing plant-based meat.

Der heimische Anbau von Sojabohnen könnte die Abhängigkeit von Importen verringern.
Domestic cultivation of soybeans could reduce dependence on imports.

Climate change requires breeding of new soybean varieties

Soy production in Europe could be further increased by breeding new drought- and heat-tolerant varieties.

Hände halten einen Pflanzensetzling
A cucumber plant is grafted onto a pumpkin plant.

Grafting and genome editing for rapid creation of new varieties

Max Planck researchers have presented a combination method that produces plants without traces of the gene scissors.

Algen in Reagenzgläsern
Algae need one thing to grow: sunlight.

Algae as green hydrogen producers

A German-Japanese research team wants to enable algae to produce green hydrogen without photosynthesis even at night.

Oleogele und Backwaren
Oleogels and baked goods

Oleogels as palm oil substitute

Researchers have succeeded in developing a domestic alternative to palm oil from rapeseed oil.

Die Mikrobe des Jahres 2023, Bacillus subtilis, bildet Biofilme mit vielfältigen Strukturen.
The microbe of the year 2023, Bacillus subtilis, forms biofilms with diverse structures.

Bacillus subtilis is Microbe of the Year 2023

Bacillus subtilis is a multi-talent - equally important for human and animal health as well as for industry.

Pflanzenbasierte Fleischalternativen sind beliebt.
The texture of plant-based meat alternatives is sometimes perceived as unpleasant.

Sensory improvement of meat alternatives

Improving the taste and consistency of plant-based meat substitutes is the focus of a new research partnership between Holzminden-based Symrise AG and Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

Plätzchen und Nüsse mit Tannenzweig
Many cookies contain exotic spices such as vanilla and pepper.

Christmas spices from the indoor farm

Exotic spices are key to baking cookies. But instead of coming from India, vanilla and pepper could soon come from domestic indoor farms.

Mann in Laborkittel vor einer Pflanze mit zwei Kohlweißlingen
Yu Okamura observes mating cabbage white butterflies.

How caterpillars deactivate the defense of cabbage plants

Researchers have discovered how the cabbage white butterfly detoxifies toxic mustard oils from its food source.

Sockenhaken aus neuartigen Biomaterial
The compostable sock hooks made from the traceless biomaterial could replace conventional plastic hooks in the future.

Traceless: Test run for plant-based sock hooks

Traceless has developed a pilot product from its innovative biomaterial, which is currently being used in a Hamburg store of the C&A fashion chain.

Fluss mit Algenblüte
Euglenoids are diverse unicellular organisms found primarily in freshwater and are visible in large quantities as algal blooms.

Tapping euglenoids as a new source of raw materials

A worldwide consortium with the participation of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg aims to advance the genome sequencing of eukaryotic unicellular organisms and make it available as a resource for the bioeconomy.

Ein Mann im Pkw und ein Mann vor dem Pkw auf einem Rollenprüfstand
At Coburg University of Applied Sciences, automotive technician Florian Knoch and automotive engineer Steffen Krajewski conduct tests on the chassis dynamometer.

Biodiesel from sewage sludge

A new reforming process generates another source of fuel from biogenic waste.

Eine Forscherin im Laborkittel vor einem Messgerät
First author Chengzhang Xu from the University of Bayreuth is studying the heat resistance of enzymes.

Precise measurement of heat resistance of enzymes

Heat-resistant enzymes could be incorporated into biodegradable plastics to accelerate their decomposition.

Vier Plasmaquellen wurden hintereinander geschaltet und das Schüttgut nimmt einen vorher eingestellten Weg über das Förderband.
Four plasma sources were connected in series and the bulk material takes a predetermined path along the conveyor belt.

Control grain weevil with plasma

With the help of an innovative plasma technology, researchers have paved the way to protect grain from pests and thus make it last longer.

Zwei Männer in Laborkittel und Laborumgebung
Gregor Hagelueken, group leader at the Institute of Structural Biology of the UK Bonn, and Niels Schneberger, PhD student at the Institute of Structural Biology of the UK Bonn, freeze protein crystals.

Better understanding of the natural function of CRISPR

Gene scissors are an important tool in genome editing, but they originated in the battle between bacteria and phages.

Keimlinge sprießen aus dem Boden.
Soil and plants depend on the interaction of and with microbes.

DFG funds microbial and plant research

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is funding 13 new collaborative research centers at universities with a total of 166 million euros - including two on the bioeconomy.

Kücken werden mit hochwertigen Proteinen gefüttert
The chickens seem to like it - the high-protein feed from grassland waste.

Protein feed from on-farm biorefinery

Researchers at the University of Hohenheim want to make proteins from plants from meadows and pastures usable for the bioeconomy. A protein extract for animal feed has already been obtained.

Die vertikalen Begrünungssysteme sind flexibel und modular einsetzbar.
The vertical greening systems are flexible and modular.

Vertical greening for climate-friendly cities

A flexible vertical greening system developed by Fraunhofer researchers has reached market maturity after years of research.

Modellform der Theaterdekoration aus dem mycelbasierten Verbundstoff
Model of the theater decoration made of the mycelium-based composite material

Premiere for stage design from mushroom mycelium

Researchers at TU Dresden work on sustainable stage design made of a composite material with fungal mycelium. The corresponding premiere is at the beginning of December in Munich.

Feuchte tropische Bergwälder wie hier auf La Réunion sind durch eine reiche Epiphytenflora gekennzeichnet.
Humid tropical montane forests, such as here in La Réunion, are characterized by a rich epiphyte flora.

Global plant diversity at a glance

Researchers reconstructed the distribution of global plant diversity and used it to create a world map showing where and how many plant species exist.

Rot melierte Fläche mit Vergrößerung von Salzkörnern in schwarzweiß
The sponge-like structure of the chip (in gray) was created with salt crystals. The red microorganisms colonize it in the laboratory within a few days.

Cultivate bacteria in their habitat

A silicone sponge can be used to detect bacteria that cannot be cultured in the laboratory and to analyze their DNA.

Innovationspreis Gregor Mendel Stiftung für IPK-Forscher Martin Mascher (links) und Nils Stein (mitte)
Awards ceremony for the Gregor Mendel Innovation Prize (from left): IPK researchers Martin Mascher and Nils Stein, Maria von Korff Schmising (Vice Chairwoman of the Gregor Mendel Foundation).

Leibniz scientists honored for cereal genome research

The Gregor Mendel Foundation has awarded the Innovation Prize to researchers Nils Stein and Martin Mascher from the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) in Gatersleben for their contributions to decoding the complex genomes of wheat, barley and rye.

Zu Rundballen zusammengepresstes Weizenstroh
The pulp yield from one kilogram of straw is about 40%.

From wheat straw to textile fiber

Researchers in Hamburg want to tap new sources of raw materials - straw, to be precise - in order to obtain cellulose fibers for the textile industry.

Bayer übernimmt Targenomix
Bayer's acquisition of Targenomix aims to accelerate the discovery and use of promising molecules for crop protection (center: Targenomix CEO Dr. Sebastian Klie).

Bayer acquires Max Planck spin-off Targenomix

The Potsdam-based start-up Targenomix uses systems biology and bioinformatics to develop new crop protection products.

Gewächshaus mit vielen jungen grünen Pflanzen
Plants were grown from seeds of Europe-wide populations of field penny-cress (Thlaspi arvense) in the greenhouse under standardized conditions.

Microclimate influences epigenetics of field penny-cress

Plant researchers from Tübingen have investigated epigenetic marks in a crop plant - the field penny-cress. These adapt to the climatic conditions of a site.

Gerstenähren
Many barley varieties are still resistant to barley mosaic virus. Thanks to a new discovery, that could remain the case.

Winter barley: Old landraces reveal path to virus resistance

Genetic analyses of old landraces of winter barley have led plant researchers from Gatersleben to discover a molecular mechanism that can be used to produce virus-resistant barley varieties.

Rest- und Abfallstoffe aus der Verarbeitung von Hanffasern
Residual and waste materials from the processing of hemp fibers

Improve cascade use of the hemp plant

A new research project aims to tap the potential of residual and waste materials from hemp processing - especially their use for energy.