Phytomanagement refers to the targeted use of plants to remediate contaminated soil and utilise the resulting biomass. This process can make a significant contribution to the circular economy: contaminated areas are reclaimed, while at the same time renewable raw materials are produced that can be returned to circular material and production cycles. This is precisely where the CBE JU-funded pHYBi project (Phytomanagement for sustainable bio-based raw materials for the textile industry) comes in.

A carbon-neutral bioeconomy requires processes that efficiently bind carbon dioxide and convert it into usable products. Formic acid – or rather its salt, formate – is considered promising in this regard, as it can be produced from CO₂ using renewable energy. It is also easy to transport, non-toxic and versatile. Research in this area focuses, among other things, on microorganisms that are supplied with formic acid obtained from CO₂ and use it to produce basic chemicals or fuels.

The aubergine is an extremely versatile crop plant that comes in numerous varieties and in a wide range of colours, shapes and sizes. Now, for the first time, a complete catalogue of all the genes and characteristics of the aubergine has been compiled. This new database paves the way for more robust, climate-adapted and high-quality varieties that will secure long-term crop yields and preserve diversity in agriculture. In addition to scientists from Jülich, teams from six other countries were involved in the study.

Barley is one of the world's most important cereal crops. However, like other food crops, barley is also suffering from increasingly high temperatures. A research team from the University of Potsdam and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) in Gatersleben is now showing how this important crop can be better equipped to withstand heat stress. In a study, the researchers present innovative approaches to further strengthen the plant's heat tolerance and thus ensure its productivity.

After cellulose, lignin is the second most common biopolymer on earth. It is a major component of trees and grasses and is produced in large quantities as a waste product in paper, pulp and bioethanol production. However, as this complex biopolymer is difficult to break down, the residual material is usually incinerated. An international research team led by the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT) is now showing how lignin can be efficiently utilised.

Peat is an important component of plant substrates and is used primarily in horticulture to improve soil quality. However, its extraction destroys valuable moorland areas and releases carbon that has been stored there for thousands of years. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) have now developed an environmentally friendly alternative and have applied for patents for two innovative processes for producing artificial peat.

Fruit pomace, rapeseed straw and potato peelings are usually used in animal feed. For the bioeconomy, however, these residues have long been valuable raw materials that can be used both materially and energetically. In the BIOWIN project, young researchers at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg want to upgrade these biogenic residues from agriculture and forestry, which have been insufficiently utilised in Saxony to date, and transform them into innovative, polymer-based materials.

Whether walls or furniture: with her research work and the science and art collective MY-CO-X, Vera Meyer has already demonstrated on several occasions the potential of fungi – especially for the construction industry. The Berlin-based biotechnologist is receiving around £8.5 million in funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for research and development into fungus-based materials as part of a new Collaborative Research Centre (SFB).

Pollinators such as bees, wasps and butterflies make a vital contribution to stable ecosystems: they enable numerous plants to reproduce and increase the yields of many crops by transferring pollen between flowers. What is less well known, however, is that many of them spend crucial phases of their lives on or in the soil, where they nest, rest or hibernate. It is also unclear what conditions pollinators need during their time in the soil and to what extent modern soil management practices harm both the insects and the ecosystem services they provide.

Boron plays a central role in the growth and fertility of many plants, but extreme weather events such as drought or flooding are making it increasingly difficult for plants to absorb. An international research team led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and involving the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) has now investigated how plants respond to the changing availability of the micronutrient boron.