Over the past few years, a number of studies have been published that show dramatic declines in insect numbers through time. The most prominent, from nature reserves in Western Germany, suggested remarkable declines of flying insect biomass (>75% decrease over 27 years). This was published in 2017 and sparked a media storm suggesting a widespread “insect apocalypse”. Since then, there have been several follow-up publications from different places across the world, most showing strong declines, others less so, and some even showing increases.
acatech and Körber-Stiftung (2020): TechnikRadar
Around 2,000 people were questioned about biobased economy in a representative survey last autumn. The conclusion: the majority of Germans are in favour of bio-economic change.
IÖW (2020): Consumer survey on packaging volume
As part of the Innoredux project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) launched an online survey on packaging waste. The aim was to find out to what extent it is accepted to abstain packaging and what potential unpackaged products have.
Bacteria break down herbicides
Whether cereal, fruit or vegetable cultivation: agriculture is dependent on pesticides in many places. They should secure yields and thereby the supply of food to the people. But the use of pesticides is controversial because they not only kill off pests, but also harm people and nature. Now researchers have identified bacteria that can break down the herbicide linuron.
Extract nutrients from spent grain
During the brewing of beer, many residues accumulate. For example, an average of 20 kilograms of spent grains are produced per hectoliter of beer. With regard to the annual beer production in Germany, this is about two million tons of spent grains and about one million tons of spent grains press water. These residues contain valuable substances, some of which are used in agriculture as animal feed, but the majority ends up in waste. Researchers want to change that.
Fungus protects algae from bacteria
In nature there is a permanent, seemingly invisible battle: Whether in the soil, in water or on our skin - microorganisms compete for nutrients almost everywhere. Some microbes use chemical weapons and secrete substances that harm other microbes. For example, bacteria of the genus Streptomyces produce azalomycins, which kill other unicellular organisms, but also cells of higher organisms such as the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. However, it has found an unusual protector, as a German research team now reports in
The environment shapes the protein content in wheat
Wheat is one of the most important food plants. Many foods from bread to pizza to beer are made from the grain. But many people suffer from a wheat intolerance, the coeliac disease. They are allergic to the wheat protein gluten. The number of people suffering from coeliac disease has risen sharply in recent years. Up to 1% of adults are affected.
Textiles
Natural products have been used for thousands of years to make clothing. The Egyptians and Romans of antiquity used flax fibres to make linen fabrics. Leather, which is tanned animal hide, was a favourite material even in the Stone Age, as a material for making shoes and belts. It has been only in recent decades that inexpensive petroleum-based synthetic fibres have predominated over leather. In the recent past, however, a return to traditional natural fibres has become particularly apparent.
Pharmaceuticals
Especially with respect to production of medicinal preparations, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly resorting to biological insights. Although chemically produced medicine still represents the largest share on the German pharma market, so-called biopharmaceuticals are increasingly gaining ground. Their sales of 5.6 billion euros are currently 21% of the market, with a rising trend. These drugs consist of biomolecules that are so large that they cannot be manufactured by man – or only at prohibitive cost.
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical and plant engineering are among the traditionally strong pillars of Germany as economic location: more than 20,000 companies employ around one million people. Plant and machine as well as production and process engineering represent a key factor in a bio-based economy, in order to implement sustainability and resource efficiency. This applies especially with respect to energy requirements and efficiency, and also to lubricants and other materials applied. Engineers always face a special challenge when technical and biological requirements coincide.