Bioeconomy News

The Martinsried-based company GNA Biosolutions plans to launch an ultra-fast corona test based on its laser PCR. The BMBF has funded the development of the method.

Following the example of grasshopper feet, bionics researchers from Kiel have created an adaptive frictional system that adheres even to rough and uneven surfaces.

Animal feed must be high in protein, which is why soya is very well suited for this purpose. For ecological reasons, researchers are looking for domestic alternatives.

Lignin is an attractive raw material for bioplastics. X-ray analyses have shown how the different molecular structures influence the properties of the biopolymer.

Biotechnologists from Halle and Berlin have produced an improved version of the genome editing tool CRISPR-Cas9. The gene scissors make fewer mistakes in cutting.

In order to make potatoes more resistant, researchers want to coat the seeds of the nightshade plants with beneficial fungi and thus help them grow.

At the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, scientists have compiled 15,000 metagenome data sets from soil samples of various origins according to uniform standards.

In the search for alternatives to plastic, researchers want to further develop packaging made of banana leaves and water hyacinths to better protect food.

Eat the silverware instead of throwing it away: This idea is being pursued by the start-up Frenvi, which wants to offer an alternative to disposable plastic cutlery with its edible spoons.

Rostock chemists use the concept of artificial photosynthesis to produce high-quality hydrocarbons from carbon dioxide.

With the help of a new process, researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis in Rostock extract pentylene glycol, which is important for cosmetics, from bagasse, residual materials from the sugar cane industry.

Partners from research and industry want to develop multilayer packaging materials based on chitosan and at the same time work out a corresponding method for quality control.

Big news for the Leuna chemical site: The Finnish group UPM is investing EUR 550 million in an industrial biorefinery. The plant will produce green chemicals from wood.

Max Planck researchers have created a synthetic cell that enables biochemical reactions and reacts to environmental influences.

If we were to modify the metabolism of plants, they could bind up to five times more carbon dioxide than is currently the case. Bioinformaticians from Würzburg have run a simulation.

Overfertilization in fish farming pose a serious threat to ecosystems and food security, researchers find.

Hamburg researchers are developing biodiesel without sulfur and nitrogen from french fry fat and electrolysis hydrogen.

Braunschweig researchers have discovered a new species of cold-loving yeasts in tree sap.

Pheromones are an effective weapon against plant pests, but their production is expensive. A European research team now wants to produce these messenger substances through biotechnology.

Poinsettias are not only beautiful to look at but also robust. Growers are constantly creating new color variations of the popular decorative plant.

The Tatarinow's aster is well-known for its medicinal properties. However, a recent study shows it is a special fungus which produces the sought-after active ingredient astin.

Consumer demand for environmentally friendly products is growing: by 2024 this will lead to a global increase in bioplastics production of more than 15%, a recent market analysis by European Bioplastics shows.

When insects attack, certain varieties of sweet potatoes release a fragrance that causes neighboring plants to start defending themselves.

Bioengineers have reprogrammed E. coli bacteria so that they can use CO2 as a carbon source.

In the DiTex pilot project, a research team is focusing on recycling fabric fibers and on intelligent labels.

Science academies and the German Research Foundation are urging EU legislators to reconsider the regulation for genetically modified organisms.

Clariant has secured access to a unique technology through a strategic partnership with Plant Advanced Technologies (PAT): The French company extracts certain plant ingredients from roots.

Aquatic plants that use hydrogen carbonate as a carbon source are increasingly displacing those that use carbon dioxide.

How land plants cope with stress is not primarily controlled by hormones. An international team of researchers found out that a gene set regulates the process right off the bat.

Not every bamboo coffee-to-go cup is suitable for hot food: Products made with synthetic resin release toxic substances, warns the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment.

Researchers have discovered a new source of antibiotics in the ocean. Planctomycetes are a marine phylum that has previously attracted little attention.

Sewage treatment plants often require a lot of space. The Ruhrverband is piloting a new process that saves 30% electricity and also reduces space requirements and operating costs.

In addition to softwoods, low-value hardwoods are also suitable for the production of fiberboard. This has been demonstrated by Fraunhofer researchers.

The European Investment Bank will stop financing fossil energy projects from the end of 2021. Future funding will focus on clean energy innovation, energy efficiency and renewables.

Researchers from Bonn are hoping to gently optimize weed control in the cultivation of medicinal plants in order to avoid contamination.

The European Council calls on the European Commission to investigate how the handling of genome-edited plants is to be regulated in future.

Researchers have shed light on the structure of nacre in mussels, paving the way for break-resistant ceramic materials.

Pesticides pose greater risks than previously thought: Helmholtz researchers have shown that pollutants can affect sensitive people and ecosystems even at very low concentrations.

In Germany, most insect groups are affected by species extinction - and more so than previously assumed, as a study led by the Technical University of Munich shows.

With two multi-resistant rice varieties and a diagnostic kit, an international team of researchers hopes to eradicate the plant disease bacterial blight.

Production of alcohols from CO2 through electrochemical reduction is the goal of a research consortium that wants to use a new process to reduce the energy required for electrosynthesis.

Using a bacterial enzyme, Marburg researchers have made it possible for diatoms to degrade plastic waste in salt water.

Collagen protein supplier Gelita and the US company Geltor are cooperating in the development of biotechnologically produced collagen proteins for the vegan food market.

The Ethics Council of the Max Planck Society has announced its position on genome editing in plant breeding, medicine and pest control.

Up until now, biocatalysts were short-lived. Bochum researchers have now developed a thin protective film that can make the hydrogenases last thousands of years.

Deep-sea mussels enter into symbioses with a large number of bacteria and are thus well prepared for changing environmental conditions.

Too much nitrogen increases the protein content in wheat. But it also reduces the yield, a research team has found.

High-tech fibers made from renewable resources can be a real alternative to their petroleum counterparts, thanks to a new ultra-high-temperature process.

Germany plans large-scale reforestation to help ailing forests. According to Würzburg forest ecologists, this will have the opposite effect and make forests even less resilient.

Bayer and the US company Arvinas have teamed up to launch the joint venture Oerth Bio. It uses biotechnologically produced protein molecules to protect plants from pests.

Enzymes were their inspiration: Using nanoparticles as catalysts, German and Australian researchers succeeded in converting carbon dioxide into valuable resources.

It is an amino acid that makes the silk proteins in the spider thread tensile, researchers from the University of Würzburg have discovered.

The Dutch biotechnology company Isobionics specializes in natural fragrances and flavors and is now expanding BASF's portfolio.

The specialty chemicals company Clariant has won a second licensee for its biorefinery technology in the Polish petroleum group PKN Orlen.

Molecular cinema: German and Canadian structural biologists have observed an enzyme at work and produced a time-lapse film.

A research team from North Rhine-Westphalia has developed a process to produce building blocks for important plastics from carbon dioxide.

A research project coordinated by the University of Hohenheim has developed a system that detects fungal infections in the field at an early stage and greatly reduces the use of fungicides.

In the right places, jojoba plantations can influence the microclimate and increase precipitation, reveals a simulation by researchers at the University of Hohenheim.

Bee researchers from Würzburg show that there are great differences between the microbial communities of social bee colonies and the more species-rich solitary bees.

More money from the federal government, protection of habitats and a foreseeable end to the pesticide glyphosate are intended to counter the decline of insects.