One valuable raw material that has so far mainly been burned is the biopolymer lignin. It is one of the major components of plants and a promising alternative to crude oil for the production of plastics. "Lignin is the largest source of naturally occurring aromatic compounds, but so far it has mainly been regarded as a by-product or fuel in the paper industry," says Mats Johansson of the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) Stockholm regretfully.
In the development of drugs, materials or processes, plant and animal life have time and again inspired scientists to innovate. For example, researchers used the swimming fern as a model to reduce the frictional resistance of ships by means of a new coating, and many have tried to duplicate the delicate but stable web of the spider. Now it is the grasshopper's feet that have inspired an interdisciplinary team at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität (CAU) Kiel to develop an adaptive frictional system.
In order to detect acute infection with the corona virus, thousands of tests based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are performed daily. With the help of this molecular copy method, the genetic material of the virus, which consists of the biomolecule ribonucleic acid (RNA), is detected in the swabs. The few virus RNA molecules are first transcribed into DNA and then amplified by the PCR in numerous copy cycles. Only then can the existence of the viral genetic material in the samples be determined. Experts refer to this as real-time RT-PCR.
Bioethanol is an alcohol produced from either cereals or sugar beets as well as from agricultural residues. In a bioethanol factory, there are large tanks in which yeasts ferment the sugar-containing biomass to ethanol. Bioethanol is added to petrol and is available as Super-E10 at petrol stations.
Satellite data have long since expanded their use beyond weather forecasting. They provide agricultural researchers with important information on soil properties or plant growth and are the basis for harvest forecasts. Data collected from orbit are also an important tool for marine researchers to observe algae growth. Up to now, satellites have been used to measure the amount of the plant pigment chlorophyll in the water and thus the concentration of algae.
Scientists have copied many a fine chemical from nature. Phenylglycine is also a substance produced by bacteria. However, there are two mirror-image forms of it - L-phenylglycine and D-phenylglycine. The former is the product of microorganisms, the latter is a medically highly interesting compound, which as yet can only be produced conventionally in a petrochemical process - until now.
Many plants and animals have adapted to their environment during evolution. The gradual change of the genetic make-up took place over generations. The gradual change of the genetic material took place over generations. But climate change is becoming a problem for many organisms because it is progressing too rapidly. As part of an international study, researchers at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel have now investigated how strongly epigenetic processes influence the adaptability of organisms to the environment.
Water is a precious resource and often causes conflicts of use. This is because this resource, which is vital for humans, animals and plants, is coming under increasing pressure from climate change, urbanization and pollution. According to experts, agriculture alone accounts for 70% of global water consumption. Not only in warm regions such as Spain, but also in Germany, drought and heat are already causing bottlenecks in irrigation and thus yield losses. Alternative solutions are needed to avoid conflicts of use.
Plant residues are ideal raw materials for biobased alternatives to products of the petroleum industry: They do not compete with the cultivation of food and animal feed and promise additional added value to the plant products already produced. In practice, there is often a difficulty: the microorganisms used in biotechnology usually cope with only one of the two varieties of sugars, which are found in vegetable residues.
The outdoor outfitter Vaude and the manufacturer of thermoplastic elastomers and flexible polymer compounds Hexpol TPE have taken another small step towards a biobased circular economy: They present a drinking valve made of bioplast