Bioeconomy News

Number of search results: 1080
Der Holzstoff Lignin könnte bald schon erdölbasierte Stoffe in Kleb- und Dämmstoffen ersetzen.
Wood contains lignin, a valuable and inexpensive raw material.

Valuable amides from wood waste

An international research team led by the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT) has developed a new, environmentally friendly process for effectively utilising the plant substance lignin to produce high-quality chemical compounds.

Künstlicher Torf aus verschiedenen Biomassen
Artificial peat from various types of biomass

Sustainable peat production using a rapid process

Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) have developed two methods for producing artificial peat from biomass.

Kartoffelschalen
Among other things, the young researchers want to use potato peelings as a raw material for new packaging.

High-quality materials from biogenic waste

Young researchers at TU Bergakademie Freiberg want to develop functional membranes, coatings and packaging from agricultural waste materials.

Baumaterialien vom Zunderschwamm
Building materials made from tinder fungus

DFG funds fungus-based building materials

The Technical University of Berlin is receiving around €10 million in funding from the German Research Foundation for research and development into fungus-based building materials as part of a new collaborative research centre.

Wandern im Schnee
Demand for environmentally friendly materials is also growing in the outdoor sector.

Hiking pole made from natural fibres

Researchers at the German Institutes for Textile and Fibre Research Denkendorf (DITF) are working with partners to demonstrate, using a hiking pole, that natural materials can also meet the high demands of outdoor use.

Wenn Nährstoffmangel besteht, können besonders effiziente Pflanzen ihre Wurzelarchitektur ändern und längere, seitlich ausscherende Wurzeln ausbilden. So haben sie einen größeren Radius, um die Nährstoffe aufzunehmen.
When nutrients are scarce, particularly efficient plants can alter their root architecture.

How plants search for nutrients

Researchers led by the Technical University of Munich have discovered how plants compensate for fluctuations in nutrients: they form lateral roots, thereby expanding their search radius.

Die Hosenbiene (Dasypoda) gräbt ihr Nest in sandigen Boden.
The sand wasp (Dasypoda) digs its nest in sandy soil.

Better protection for soils and pollinators

The EU project ProPollSoil is investigating how soil health and pollinators interact. To this end, an international team led by the Technical University of Munich is working on new soil management practices.

Übergabe des symbolischen Förderschecks zum Aufbau eines Biofabrikationszentrums in Stuttgart. V. l.: Prof. Dr. Steffen Rupp (stv. Institutsleiter Fraunhofer IGB), Wirtschaftsministerin Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Prof. Dr. Petra Kluger (Institutsleiterin Fraunhofer IGB)
Presentation of the symbolic funding cheque: from left: Steffen Rupp (Deputy Director of Fraunhofer IGB), Minister of Economic Affairs Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Petra Kluger (Director of FH IGB)

Bio-manufacturing centre for novel foods and biomedicine

The German federal government and the state of Baden-Württemberg are providing around €3 million in funding to support the establishment of a biofabrication centre at Fraunhofer IGB in Stuttgart.

Eine Mikrotiterplatte mit Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Forschende von Max-Planck-Institut und Uni Marburg haben eine Testplattform entwickelt, mit der sich Tausende Algenlinien mit verändertem Chloroplasten-Genom parallel erzeugen und analysieren lassen.
A microtiter plate with Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

High-speed plant research

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and Philipps University of Marburg have developed an automated platform that enables high-throughput research into genetic changes in chloroplasts for the first time.

Hafer vor blauem Himmel

Oat genome decoded

A research team involving the Technical University of Munich has decoded the genomes of 33 different oat varieties, thereby recording the entire genetic diversity of this plant.

Dauerversuch "Ewiger Roggen"
For their study, the scientists are using the site of the long-term experiment ‘Perpetual Rye Cultivation’ at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.

Stress test on rye provides insight into gene combination

A new study by the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg shows how rye rearranges its genes in response to environmental stress.

Integriertes Anbausystem mit Push-Pull-Technologie: Das Maisfeld ist von Brachiaria-Pflanzen umgeben, die Schädlinge aus der Hauptkultur anziehen.
Integrated cropping system with push-pull technology: The maize field is surrounded by Brachiaria plants, which attract pests from the main crop.

Luring pests away from plants

In the EU project UPSCALE, researchers led by Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) are demonstrating how insects can be gently lured away from crops using push-pull technology, thereby improving yields and soil fertility.

Biogasanlage
With the help of new technologies for converting fermentation residues, biogas plants could become sustainable methanol factories.

Green methanol from fermentation residues of biogas plants

The conversion of biogenic residues into sustainable chemicals such as green methanol is the focus of two new projects that the BMFTR is funding with around €1.8 million through the WIR! innovation alliance ‘biogeniV’.

Lasermodul mit Aktuator zur präzisen Ansteuerung der Unkrautpflänzchen

Removing weeds with high-tech

Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy in Potsdam are developing a laser module that removes weeds from fields with pinpoint accuracy.

Paludikultur im Wietingsmoor als Beispiel für multifunktionale Landnutzung: Im Moor vereint die Paludikultur die Produktion von Biomasse (Schilf, Rohrkolben) für Baustoffe und Torfersatz mit dem Erhalt der Torfböden.
Paludiculture in Wietingsmoor as an example of multifunctional land use: In the moor, paludiculture combines the production of biomass (reeds, cattails) for building materials and peat substitutes with the preservation of peat soils.

Paludiculture: a model for multifunctional land use

Researchers at the Universities of Göttingen and Kassel demonstrate how multifunctional landscapes such as paludiculture can promote nature conservation and ecosystem restoration.

Mit einem bakteriellen Enzym könnte man zukünftig Plastik nachhaltig erzeugen.
In future, plastic could be produced sustainably using a bacterial enzyme.

Sustainable ethylene production with bacteria

Researchers from Marburg and Kaiserslautern have elucidated the structure of a bacterial enzyme that is capable of producing the basic chemical ethylene without releasing CO2.

Pflanzmischung: 50% Luzerne im Gemenge mit 50% Spitzwegerich mit je 200 keimfähigen Körnern/m² zum 3. Schnitt
Plant mix: 50% alfalfa mixed with 50% ribwort plantain

Plant mix is worthwhile

The combined cultivation of alfalfa and ribwort plantain doubles yields and reduces nitrate levels in the soil. This is shown by a study conducted in collaboration with the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research.

Flüssigkultur von Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Liquid culture of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Sustainable chemicals with microbial cell factories

Researchers at Chemnitz University of Technology, Leipzig University and the Fraunhofer Institute FEP are developing microalgae as ‘cell factories’ that can produce the important basic chemical glycolate from carbon dioxide and sunlight.

Drohne über dem Feld
The AI Living Lab for Agriculture aims to transfer AI applications directly into agricultural practice.

AI Living Lab for Agriculture launched

Research into sustainable and future-proof agriculture using artificial intelligence (AI) is the focus of the newly opened Living Lab for Agriculture, which is run by the University of Osnabrück.

Wildtyp (links) und gentechnisch verbesserte Arabidopsispflanze (rechts) nach Trockenstress.
Wild type (left) and genetically modified Arabidopsis plant (right) after drought stress.

How plants conserve water during droughts

A research team at Heidelberg University has discovered a previously unknown molecular mechanism that plants use to prevent water loss during extreme drought and strong sunlight.

Lederrollen
In FABULOSE, eleven European partners are developing new scalable and bio-based production routes for animal-free leather alternatives.

Leather made from bacterial cellulose

The EU project FABULOSE receives €3.5 million in funding for biotechnologically produced vegan leather alternatives based on cellulose. Four partners from Baden-Württemberg are involved.

Daniel Eggerichs kann sich freuen: Er erhielt den Preis für Biokonversion nachwachsender Rohstoffe der Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker.

Prize for bacterial plastic factory

Daniel Eggerichs has developed a process at Ruhr University Bochum in which genetically modified bacteria convert waste from the paper industry into plastic precursors. He was honoured by the German Chemical Society for this method.

Drohne über dem Wald
Drones could also be used for reforestation in the future.

Reforestation using drones and AI

Drones and robots could carry out planting work in forest areas in the future. Researchers at Kempten University of Applied Sciences want to realise this vision in the AI flagship project ‘DraAuf’.

Von der Natur inspiriert: Vom Blatt zur Leiterplatte
Inspired by nature: from leaves to circuit boards

Joachim Herz Prize for circuit boards made from leaves

This year's Joachim Herz Prize, worth €500,000, goes to physicist Hans Kleemann from TU Dresden for developing a bio-based and recyclable printed circuit board.

Die Durchwachsene Silphie (Silphium perfoliatum) ist eine schnellwachsende Wildstaude, die als Energiepflanze gefragt ist.
The cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) is a fast-growing wild perennial that is in demand as an energy crop.

Silphium is a convincing sustainable energy crop

A comparative study by the University of Bayreuth shows that the cup plant is a more sustainable alternative to silage maize as an energy crop.

Das Forschungsteam untersuchte für seine Studie eine Sammlung von Gerstenpflanzen mit mehr als 940 Wildgersten und 1.110 domestizierten Gersten (Hordeum vulgare).
For its study, the research team examined a collection of barley plants comprising more than 940 wild barley varieties and 1,110 domesticated barley varieties (Hordeum vulgare).

Mutation for late barley flowering identified

An international research team led by the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) has discovered the genetic cause of late flowering in barley, which leads to higher yields.

Arabidopsis Pflanze in Laborbedingung.
Arabidopsis plants under laboratory conditions

How plants adapt to environmental conditions

Freiburg researchers have discovered a cellular growth switch that regulates the plant hormone auxin and thus plant growth in response to environmental changes.

Ein Beispiel für Fassadendämmung auf der Basis von Pilzgeflecht
An example of façade insulation based on fungal mycelium

Establishing insulation materials made from fungal mycelium as a building material

In the ‘Mycobuild’ project, researchers at Hof University of Applied Sciences aim to demonstrate that thermal insulation materials made from fungal mycelium can also be produced industrially, economically and ecologically.

Industriehanf
Hemp is one of the oldest crops in the world. Various parts of the plant are used to produce textile fibres, building materials, fuels, medicines and even foodstuffs.

PAPACKS strengthens partnership with Solenis

The Cologne-based start-up PAPACKS will work even more closely with the US specialty chemicals company Solenis in future to produce sustainable packaging based on hemp on an industrial scale.

Hybrides Rinderhackfleisch auf Koji-Basis von nosh.bio

Launch: Koji-based hybrid minced beef

The Berlin-based start-up Nosh.bio is launching a hybrid minced beef product based on koji. It is the first German company to demonstrate the use of koji protein in hybrid minced meat.

Biogasanlage
The complex process of drying biomass and transporting it long distances to biogas plants could become unnecessary in the future.

Sustainable methanol production from biomass

Researchers at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) have developed a new process that will make the production of methanol from biomass significantly easier and more decentralised in the future.

Im Projekt „VitiForst“ wurden die Wechselwirkungen und Effekte von Gehölzen im ökologischen Weinbau untersucht.
The VitiForst project investigated the interactions and effects of woody plants in organic viticulture.

VitiForst as an opportunity for sustainable viticulture

The VitiForst project is entering its second phase, in which researchers from the Universities of Hohenheim and Freiburg aim to further develop the combined cultivation of vines and trees and put it into practical use.

Das EARL-Versuchsgelände aus der Luft
The EARL test site from the air

Practical laboratory for soil erosion research opens

As part of the EARL soil protection project, a globally unique pilot plant has been inaugurated in Ruhstorf, Lower Bavaria. The aim is to investigate the effect of cultivation systems on soil erosion.

Spinnen von AMSilks Seidenprotein
Amsilk's biotechnologically produced spider silk fibres can replace petroleum-based fibres.

Amsilk: Millions for production expansion

The biotech company Amsilk, which specialises in the production of spider silk proteins, has raised tens of millions in fresh capital in a financing round to expand production of the high-tech biomaterial.

EU-Flaggen vorm EU-Kommissionsgebäude in Brüssel

Recommendations for a competitive bioeconomy in the EU

As part of the EU project ShapingBio, researchers led by Fraunhofer ISI have formulated recommendations for utilising the potential of bio-based innovations and thereby advancing the bioeconomy within the EU.

Pflanzen bewässern
Irrigation in vegetable cultivation is to be controlled digitally in the future.

Digital watering of vegetables

As part of its EIP-Agri funding programme, the EU is supporting two projects at Bingen University of Applied Sciences that focus on innovation in agriculture – including a project that aims to digitally control irrigation in vegetable cultivation.

Erscheinungspflanzen zweier Arabidopsis-Pflanzen. Ausführliche Bildunterschrift siehe Ende des Meldungstextes.

Mystery surrounding amino acids in plants solved

Researchers at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf have identified the mechanism by which plants transport amino acids within their organisms. The findings could contribute to the development of crops with a higher content of essential amino acids.

Orangensaft mit Orange
The food industry is increasingly focusing on natural ingredients.

BRAIN Biotech: Alliance for new nature-based ingredients

The Zwingenberg-based enzyme specialist BRAIN Biotech will be collaborating with the Dutch company Corbion in the future to develop new sustainable ingredients for food preservation.

In solchen Bioreaktoren werden zunehmend nicht nur Impfstoffe, sondern auch andere Arzneimittel oder Feinchemikalien hergestellt.
In such bioreactors, enzymes act as catalysts for biochemical reactions.

Breakthrough for bio-inspired catalysis

Researchers at the Technical University of Berlin and Humboldt University of Berlin have succeeded in elucidating the molecular mechanism of bacterial conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon monoxide (CO) for the first time.

Globale Kooperationen für die Bioökonomie
With its “Bioeconomy International” funding program, the German government has laid the foundation for far-reaching research collaborations.

Forging international research alliances on the bioeconomy

With a new round of tenders for the “Bioeconomy International” funding initiative, the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) is once again supporting the establishment of international research networks.

Kartoffel haben viel Kohlenhydrate wie pflanzliche Stärke, mithilfe von Enzymen zu energiereichen Stoffen werden.
The potato is the third most important crop worldwide, with several thousand varieties having been developed since cultivation began.

New platform for potato breeding

Researchers have developed a genome-based metabolic model for potatoes that can improve the breeding of new stress-tolerant varieties.

Ob es Gerstenpflanzen gut geht, können optische Sensoren früher erkennen als Menschen.
Climate change causes significant abiotic stress in important crops such as wheat.

New research offensive for sustainable plant protection

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research has established new funding guidelines to promote the development and application of new methods for the sustainable protection of crops against insect pests and plant pathogens.

Michael Lakatos erklärt dem Ministerpräsident Alexander Schweitzer die Vielfalt seiner weltweit einzigartigen Algensammlung.
Michael Lakatos, head of the Waste2Value joint project, explains the diversity of algae collection at the Pirmasens campus to Minister President Alexander Schweitzer (right in the picture).

Waste2Value: Microbes for sustainability

Mastering structural change in the Western Palatinate with microorganisms: Alexander Schweitzer, Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate, saw for himself how this can be achieved during a visit to the Pirmasens campus of Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences.

Lyocellfasern und –filamente, hergestellt aus Reststoffen.
Lyocell fibers and filaments made from residual materials

Sustainable fibers from waste materials

In the Texroh joint project, researchers at TU Dresden are seeking to develop cellulose-containing residues and waste materials for the production of sustainable Lyocell fibers.

Bei„Power2Polymers“ werden aus Industrieabgasen wertvolle Chemikalien gewonnen.
Valuable chemicals can be extracted from industrial waste gases.

Chemicals from industrial waste gases

The Power2Polymers project uses sustainable methanol to produce usable chemicals such as paraformaldehyde and polyols on a large scale – as a basis for adhesives and other industrial applications.

Prof. Thomas Brück
Thomas Brück and other researchers have developed a process for producing carbon fibres from renewable raw materials.

Carbon fibres from algae

A research team led by the Technical University of Munich has developed a process for producing carbon fibres from renewable raw materials.

Gewebte Stoffstruktur in den Farben ultraviolett und lila.

Bio-based textile fibres made from lignin

The European BioFibreLoop project aims to establish lignin as a bio-based fibre source for the textile industry. The main challenge is to establish a supply chain.

Weinbergsfeldversuch mit Arbuskulären Mykorrhizapilzen in Geisenheim.
Vineyard field trial with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Geisenheim

Secure harvests with soil microbes

A research team led by Geisenheim University points to the potential of wild plants and their interaction with soil microbes for sustainable agriculture and calls for the establishment of protected areas to study this sensitive relationship.

Fleisch in Plastikbox
Meat packaging made from sustainable materials can reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste.

Bio-based packaging for meat products

As part of the EU project MATE4MEAT, Fraunhofer researchers are working on bio-based and antimicrobial meat packaging that extends the shelf life of food.

Der Würzburger 3D-Laserscanner scannt einen Apfelbaum bei Nacht.
The Würzburg 3D laser scanner scans an apple tree at night.

Laser scanner assesses plant health

The collaboration between agricultural research and robotics has resulted in a novel 3D laser scanner system that enables precise plant analysis.

Holzstapel
Wooden panels are widely used in the construction industry, but cannot always be recycled.

Bio-based adhesives for wood panels

The development of bio-based adhesives, coatings and fibres for the construction industry is the focus of a new EU project involving researchers from the Steinbeis Europe Centre and the Fraunhofer Society.

Dr. Jakob Ruickoldt bei der Überführung der Proben in den Probenhalter.
Dr Jakob Ruickoldt transferring the samples to the sample holder.

Enzymatic CO2 binding decoded

Researchers at the University of Potsdam and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin have succeeded in explaining the working steps of an enzyme involved in anaerobic carbon fixation.

Drohne über dem Feld
Lower Saxony wants to promote the use of digital assistants in agriculture.

Millions for change in agricultural systems

As part of the zukunft.niedersachsen science funding programme, two new large-scale projects are being supported with a total of 43.6 million euros in order to advance the transformation of the agricultural and food sector in the federal state.

Gerste
Rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns also lead to crop losses for barley.

Barley grains react to heat stress

Researchers from Dresden and Vienna have developed a method to precisely analyse the stability of plant cell membranes. The findings provide clues as to how plants react to rising temperatures.

Walnussbäume

Climate-resilient trees for dry soils

The Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development is launching a research project to improve agroforestry systems in arid regions of eastern Germany.

EU-Förderung für die Bioökonomie im Überblick
The EU Commission is proposing a more coordinated investment approach for the entire life sciences value chain.

Bioeconomy in the life sciences strategy

As part of the new life sciences strategy, the European Union intends to provide 10 billion euros annually to make Europe competitive in the field of life sciences. Innovations in sustainable bioeconomy solutions are a key driver of growth.

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.