Surgical suture material or drug-releasing stents are coated with substrates that release active agents or allow for better adhesion of biomolecules and cells. The film is applied using a special technique known as Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD), involving gas-phase coatings. In CVD polymerisation, the initial compounds are evaporated, activated at high temperature and deposited onto surfaces where they polymerise.
They have created a bio-supercapacitor: in the scientific journal "Angewandte Chemie", scientists from the Ruhr University in Bochum and Sweden's Malmö University have described a biofuel cell that not only generates energy, but can also store it. "That kind of technology may be suitable for miniaturised devices, for example, those meant to supply themselves with energy wirelessly.
The federal government published a draft amendment to the Genetic Engineering Act to allow for the cultivation of genetically modified agricultural crops to be prohibited in Germany. In particular, the amendment should lead to securing the 'opt-out' Regulation in law. However, amendments are also planned in regard to the research branch of synthetic biology.
Curt Beck has used an innovative process to overcome that limitation. The process engineer from Dresden has developed innovative winding technology for the manufacture of wooden tubes from fine veneer. As directors of LignoTUBE technologies GmbH & Co., Beck and his business partner, designer Robert Taranczewski, have been busy travelling around trying to bring these lightweight and stable veneer tubes to market since 2013.
Bioeconomy refers to the sustainable form of economic activity based on the efficient use of biological resources such as plants, animals and microorganisms. To make this possible, highly innovative approaches are necessary.The bioeconomy covers all industrial and economic sectors, which use renewable biological resources for producing products and providing services using innovative biological and technological knowledge and processes.
Researchers at the Max-Plank Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (MPI-MP) have now found a way to produce the natural compounds found in soya beans and grapes en mass to be used in medicine. The scientists used the tomato as a natural medicine factory.
Now bio-engineers from Halle have found a way of manufacturing carnosic acid using biotechnology. As the team reports in the scientific journal 'Nature Communications', they do that by using reprogrammed yeast as a cell factory. With its powerful aroma, rosemary counts as one of the most popular kitchen herbs. The cause of the distinctive taste is the vegetable substance carnosic acid. It is also found in sage leaves.
In July 2013, the German Federal Government has been put structures in place to facilitate the development of a biobased economy by means of the "National Policy Strategy Bioeconomy".
Whether in ice cream, pizza, chocolate or biodiesel, palm oil is one of the world's most versatile plant-based oils. That makes it one of the most important raw materials for the bio-based economy. Demand today is higher than ever. About 60 million tonnes of palm oil and palm-kernel oil are produced annually. The area cultivated worldwide is 17 million hectares, about half the land mass of Germany. Around 1.8 million tonnes of palm oil are consumed each year here. The lion's share, 41 per cent, is used in the manufacturing of biodiesel.