More than 9,000 public sewage treatment plants in Germany ensure that wastewater is biologically purified, thereby minimizing pollution of local water bodies. However, valuable nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are also lost during conventional treatment.

Vegan cheese alternatives have one thing in common: they contain neither casein nor whey protein – although these proteins are essential for the characteristic flavour and texture of cheese made from animal milk. The biotech start-up Infinite Roots, which specialises in sustainable foods made from mushroom mycelium, now wants to remedy this shortcoming. Together with Hamburg University of Technology, the company is developing a technology to utilise whey as a nutrient for mycelium fermentation.

As an intermediate product of many metabolic pathways, acetyl-CoA is a central component in the production of vital biomolecules. The molecule binds carbon dioxide (CO₂) and is therefore crucial for how efficiently the greenhouse gas is incorporated into metabolic processes in order to ultimately produce biomass.

Land, moor and sea are the three areas of expertise that Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV) can rely on for bio-based structural change. The focus is on the high-quality refinement of plant-based raw materials such as arable crops, reeds and algae. By 2030, these renewable raw materials are to be turned into products that will help the region to achieve an economic upturn and make it a model region for the bioeconomy. Peatlands play an important role in structural change. They currently make up around 13% of the total area of the federal state.

Alongside fats and carbohydrates, proteins are the main nutrients that the human body needs. Proteins serve as a building material for cells and tissue, can repair bones and tissue or control metabolic processes in the body as an enzyme. Researchers have therefore been endeavouring for years to recreate proteins on the computer and give them better properties. An international research team led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now developed a new method for designing proteins. 

Climate change and dwindling resources are already posing major challenges for industry today. The industrial bioeconomy offers solutions for replacing fossil fuels with renewable raw materials, closing cycles and thus contributing to a resource-efficient and climate-neutral industry.

The agriculture of the future faces major challenges: Climate change, scarcity of resources and the need for sustainable production methods require innovative solutions. New technologies offer enormous opportunities, particularly in viticulture, a traditional industry that is heavily dependent on environmental conditions. Two pioneering projects at the University of Koblenz show how modern digital innovations and precise, data-driven approaches can make viticulture not only more efficient, but also more resilient to climate change.

Electrochaea GmbH is using a promising technology to make the production and, above all, storage of sustainably produced gas even more efficient. It involves microorganisms that are billions of years old, known as archaea, which act as biocatalysts in the conversion of electricity into gas. Following demonstration plants in Denmark, Switzerland and the USA, a biomethanisation plant will now also be built in Japan. According to Electrochaea, a corresponding five-year licence agreement has been concluded with the Japanese energy company Hitachi.

So-called antigen tests have been common knowledge since the coronavirus pandemic at the latest. They have long been used in medical diagnostics to detect certain viruses in saliva, blood or urine. However, the antibodies required for this are largely derived from animal cells or living animals. Now the Hanover-based start-up Phaeosynt wants to produce antibodies from algae. The German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) is funding the project with 125,000 euros.