New biosolar cell closes green gap

For millions of years, plants have been generating energy from photosynthesis. This complex biochemical process is controlled by two major proteins: the photosystems (PS) I and II. These natural photosynthetic protein complexes are also the heart of biosolar cells. They enable the conversion of the energy of sunlight into chemically bound energy. A special role is played by PSII, which can use water as an electron source for power generation. However, the green part of the sunlight has not been usable so far.

Health passport for plants

Attentive buyers of plants may have noticed them in recent months, the small labels that have been available since December 2019: As a plant health passport they are intended to prevent the spread of dangerous pests within the European Union and enable the traceability of indoor, garden and balcony plants, plant parts and seeds. This passport is mandatory for certain species.

Making apple trees fit for climate change

If you have a fruit tree in your garden, you know the experience: First one enjoys the full blossom, but then a late frost hits the tree and in summer there are no fruits. This is also what researchers at the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) are concerned with, including Henryk Flachowsky, Head of Fruit Breeding Research: "In many regions of Germany we are currently observing that apple trees are ending their winter rest and blossoming up to two weeks earlier as a result of global warming." A late night f

BioEconomy HUB: Sugar instead of oil

The coal exit has been decided. In 2038, the extraction and use of the fossil raw material is to come to an end nationwide. This was laid down by the German government in the Coal Exit Act at the beginning of July. Regions like Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg are now facing the challenge of structural change. In Central Germany, the bioeconomy as a promising economic sector is expected to guarantee the urgently needed innovation push.

Software evaluates packaging recycling

How must certain plastic packaging be designed so that it can be easily recycled? Since the beginning of 2019, this question has been answered by software from Henkel. The company has now presented a new program version that also analyses packaging made of paper/cardboard, glass, aluminium and tinplate. The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT tested the quality of the application.

PIK (2020): Feeding 10 billion people is possible

However, this requires a technological and socio-cultural turnaround. This includes, for example, the consistent implementation of resource-conserving agricultural methods, the reduction of food losses and, finally, dietary changes.

University of Göttingen (2020): Alternative protein sources in Western diets

Prior to the study, pasta with spirulina filling was identified as a promising product idea. Spirulina algae are protein sources that can be produced in Germany independently of usable farmland. They are a possible alternative to satisfy the increasing demand for animal proteins and yet limit livestock farming for meat production with its ecological consequences.

iDiv | UL | MLU (2020): Meta-analysis of insect populations

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.