Bioeconomy News

The European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF) has raised 82 million euros and has already invested in two companies

The end for plastic drinking straws and similar products is approaching: the Bundestag has approved the bill to ban disposable plastic products, including bioplastics.

Surprise in the German biotechnology industry: For 310 million euros the Danish group Chr. Hansen takes over Jennewein Biotechnologie GmbH, which specializes in human lactose.

The Berlin start-up Mushlabs uses mycelia to produce meat substitutes. The team has now raised €8.7 million for further development.

Studies of the reproductive success of 1,200 plant species show how pollinator performance is influenced by agriculture and urbanization.

Do modern wheat varieties have more immunoreactive protein and thus promote coeliac disease? A study shows: The gluten content is the same for new and old varieties, but can increase due to environmental factors.

With Santalol, BASF and the flavor manufacturer Isobionics are launching a product that can replace sandalwood oil in cosmetic products. The fragrance is derived from corn starch.

Biotechnologists at the TU Munich have succeeded in producing an antibiotic agent from horn corals using bacteria.

In the Wissenschaftsjahr (Year of Science) competition "Mein(e) Plastik ist bio" ("My plastic is organic"), interested parties produce bio-based plastics themselves using simple means and bring them into shape.

Researchers observe an unusual alliance of purpose between green algae and molds.

Microbiologists from Braunschweig can for the first time prove which bacteria are involved in the decomposition of herbicides in so-called mini sewage treatment plants.

Researchers from Freiberg are developing a process to filter proteins or probiotics from brewing residues and make them usable for the food industry.

Whether plastic, paper or tinplate - a program from Henkel determines how easily materials can be recycled.

Researchers have identified a gene that plants use to control bud dormancy. This could help prevent frost damage to the flower in the future.

Green chemistry instead of coal and oil: With the construction of the BioEconomy HUB in Leuna, Central Germany wants to promote bioeconomic business ideas and shape structural change in the region.

How can agriculture become sustainable? The Federal Cabinet has appointed a commission of experts to find solutions. An interim report should be available in autumn.

A label ensures the traceability of plants, plant parts and seeds within the European Union.

By combining a photosynthetic protein complex with a light-collecting protein from cyanobacteria, researchers have succeeded for the first time in converting the green part of light into energy.

Climate change has consequences for the future of forests: According to an international study involving Munich researchers, large trees in particular are falling behind.

Among the first consortia for the establishment of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NDFI) are also three large associations that are important for bioeconomy research.

Biotechnologists from Münster have discovered an enzyme whose oxygen-transferring activity can be switched on by light.

The German-Dutch project "Bioeconomy-Green Chemistry” of the Ems-Dollart-Region is among the nominees for the European REGIOSTARS Award 2020.

Through electrolysis, chemists in Mainz have succeeded in producing high-quality vanillin from lignin.

The plant hormone jasmonic acid is widely used, but the chemical synthesis of the precursor 12-OPDA is expensive. Researchers have now biotechnologically imitated the production process.

Researchers from Bayreuth have discovered an enzyme with which important components of complex biologically active connections can be produced precisely.

Two designers from the USA have used bacteria to produce a mouth and nose protection mask that filters air particles and is also biodegradable.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is providing 25 million euros to advance projects for the conservation of biodiversity.

Genome editing at a higher level: Plant researchers from Karlsruhe and Gatersleben have used the molecular scissors CRISPR-Cas9 for the first time to exchange chromosome arms.

Ferulic acid is a promising natural substance. Researchers have now found a way to produce this active ingredient using bacteria.

Fraunhofer researchers have developed a miniaturized plant to study the processes involved in the production of methanol from carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

The majority of Germans are in favor of sustainable economic activity, but still have difficulty making sacrifices. This is shown by the latest TechnikRadar conducted by acatech and the Körber Stiftung.

A team of researchers is the first to provide an explanation why plants cannot absorb an unlimited amount of water through their roots.

In a new bioeconomy cluster, 15 institutes of the Zuse-Gemeinschaft are combining their activities in order to promote industrial research for a biobased economy.

Partners from research and industry hope to use green waste as a source of raw materials for biorefineries in order to produce basic chemicals as well as electrodes.

More than a quarter of all German citizens are convinced that the corona pandemic can lead to a change in people's thinking towards more sustainability and climate protection.

Researchers are developing an enzymatic process to make fivefold sugar available to produce biofuels.

A new irrigation concept for vegetable cultivation could set a precedent: In the Hypowave project, treated water from a sewage treatment plant was used for growing lettuce in the greenhouse.

The custom-made product for a bicycle drinking bottle combines functional properties and enables use in a bio-based recycling economy.

Epigenetic processes have less influence on the rapid adaptation of organisms to environmental changes than previously assumed. This is the result of a study led by researchers from Kiel.

Leibniz researchers have developed a sustainable alternative to the petrochemical process to produce an important basic drug substance.

A new algorithm allows the identification of phytoplankton species in the ocean based on satellite data and predicts the growth of toxic algal blooms.

In the corona crisis, disinfectants are a scarce commodity. German bioethanol producers are changing their policy and now produce alcohol for hygiene products rather than petrol.

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.