Bioeconomy News

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Peter O'Mara from Sydney (left) and Patrick Wilde from Bochum are working on an electrochemical cell for CO2 reduction.

Feedstocks made from CO2

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

Spinnennetz, überlagert mit der Strukturoberfläche der Domänen eines Spinnenseidenproteins. Die Methionin-Seitenketten sind als farbige Stäbchen hervorgehoben.
Spider web superimposed with the structural surface of the domains of a spider silk protein. The methionine side chains are highlighted as colored rods.

The secret of spider silk strength

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

BASF erweitert das Portfolio um natürliche Inhaltsstoffe wie Vanillin, Nootkaton und Valencen.
BASF expands its portfolio to include natural ingredients such as vanillin, nootkatone and valencene.

BASF buys flavor maker Isobionics

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

Cellulose-Ethanol kann aus Weizen- oder Maisstroh hergestellt werden.
Cellulosic ethanol can be produced from wheat or corn straw.

Polish group goes for cellulosic ethanol

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

Mit zeitaufgelöster, serieller Synchrotron-Kristallographie können alle Schlüsselzustände der enzymatischen Katalyse dargestellt werden. Sie zeigt auch, wie die beiden Untereinheiten des Enzyms Fluoressigsäure-Dehalogenase miteinander kommunizieren.
Time-resolved, serial synchrotron crystallography can be used to show all key states of enzymatic catalysis. It also shows how the two subunits of the enzymefluoroacetate dehalogenase communicate with each other.

Enzyme filmed in action

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

Die Tafel zeigt die chemische Strukturformel des CO2-Polyols.
The panel shows the chemical structural formula of CO2 polyol.

CO2-Upcycling nominated for Future Prize

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

Pflanzenkrankheiten lassen sich mit Spektralkameras frühzeitig erkennen und bedarfsgerecht behandeln, wie hier bei der Zuckerrübe.
Plant diseases can be detected early with spectral cameras and treated, as in the case of the sugar beet.

Fighting fungi with sensor tech and AI

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.

Jojoba-Plantage: Eine Studie der Universität Hohenheim zeigt, wo sie am effektivsten dazu beitragen können, dem Klimawandel entgegenzuwirken.
Jojoba orchards: A study by the University of Hohenheim shows where they can make the most effective contribution to combating climate change.

Jojoba crops combat desertification

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

Eine Solitärbiene verlässt ein künstliches Nest.
A solitary bee leaves an artificial nest.

Bee microbiome reflects lifestyle

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.

Eine Hummel im Lavendelfeld: Insekten sind für unsere Ökosysteme unverzichtbar.
A bumblebee in a lavender field: Insects are indispensable for our ecosystems.

Government invests in insect protection

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.

In der vorkommerziellen Produktionsanlage in Straubing hat Clariant Chinaschilf enzymatisch zu Bioethanol verarbeitet.
At the pre-commercial production plant in Straubing, Clariant enzymatically processed maiden silvergrass into bioethanol.

Silvergrass passes biorefinery test

At Clariant's Straubing biorefinery, 30 metric tons of Miscanthus grass were successfully processed into sugars and ethanol.

Zur Bestäubung haften Pollen auf der sogenannten Narbe in der Blüte der Hypochoeris radicata, wie die nachkolorierte Aufnahme aus dem Rasterelektronenkryomikroskop zeigt.
For pollination, pollen adheres to the so-called stigma in the flower of Hypochoeris radicata, as the post-colored image from the scanning electron cryomicroscope shows.

What makes pollen stick

Materials researchers at the University of Kiel have measured how strongly pollen adheres to certain flower organs.

Dieser Demonstrator stellt elektrochemische in nur einem Schritt Ethen aus CO2 und Wasser her.
This demonstrator produces ethylene from CO2 and water electrochemically in just one step.

Electrochemical cell recycles CO2

Fraunhofer researchers are developing processes and catalysts to produce chemicals and fuels from carbon dioxide. They have now demonstrated ethylene synthesis.

BASF und Ontera kooperieren bei der Entwicklung von Präzisionsdiagnostik für Pflanzenkrankheiten im Feld.
The two companies are cooperating in the development of precision diagnostics for plant diseases in the field.

Precision diagnostics: BASF teams up with Ontera

Chemistry giant BASF and Californian molecular diagnostics expert Ontera are cooperating to produce mobile devices that can detect and name infections of diseases at an early stage.

Der Europäische Stör (Acipenser sturio) hat den größten Verlust zu verzeichnen – sein Verbreitungsgebiet ist um 99 Prozent zurückgegangen.
The European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) has suffered the largest loss - its population area has declined by 99 percent.

Large freshwater fish on the way out

An inventory of life in inland waters reveals a population loss that is twice as high as on land and in the sea.

Landwirte prägen Aussehen und Vielfalt der Landschaft in Europa.
Farmers shape the appearance and diversity of the landscape in Europe.

EU agricultural policy reform under fire

Environmental and agricultural researchers have analyzed the EU Commission's reform proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy. They have identified significant deficits and presented alternatives.

So sieht eine kühlschrankgroße vertikale Farm für den Privatgebrauch aus. In der Studie kam sie schlechter an als größere Anbausysteme.
This is what a refrigerator-sized vertical farm for private use looks like. In the study, it was less popular than larger cultivation systems.

Vegetables from next door

One in two consumers is willing to buy products from vertical agriculture, shows a study by the University of Göttingen.

Buchenwälder wie hier auf der Schwäbischen Alb könnten Erdöl als Rohstoff für Carbonfasern ersetzen.
Beech forests such as this one in the Swabian Alb could replace crude oil as a raw material for carbon fibres.

Carbon fibers from beech wood

In Baden-Württemberg, a research centre is to be established that will develop processes for the sustainable and inexpensive production of high-tech fibres from hardwood.

Pflanzensamen wie diese Exemplare der Dahlemer Saatgutbank sind vielfältig, doch gemein haben sie, dass die gelagerten Bestände regelmäßig auf ihre Keimfähigkeit überprüft werden müssen.
Seedbanks have a wide variety of seed, which need to be monitored closely

Rapid test monitors aging of seeds

Dead or alive? Plant researchers at the University of Osnabrück have developed a method that can save seedbanks a lot of time and effort.

Vernonia galamensis besitzt einen hohen Anteil von Ölen, die für die chemische Industrie wertvoll sind.
Ironweed has a high proportion of vernonia oil that is valuable for the chemical industry.

Green chemistry from ironweed

A German-Ethiopian research cooperation aims to develop catalysts for the sustainable use of fatty oils from the seeds of Vernonia galamensis.