Phosphorus is essential not only for plants, but also for humans. An adult human needs about 0.8 grams of the mineral per day, but consumes up to 3 grams per day through food. Excess phosphate compounds are excreted by the kidneys. In this way, large quantities of phosphorus-containing waste water reach the sewage treatment plants every day.
Short-sleeved, full of innovative ideas and absolutely convinced of the benefits and necessity of a sustainable and bio-based industry – that is what Uwe D'Agnone in a nutshell. The 53-year-old inventor and CEO of Creapaper is committed to the sustainable, resource-efficient use of raw materials in the paper industry.
Every year, billions of plastic tubes end up in the garbage. But there is an alternative: the Eatapple straw consists of specially treated apple residue. In the initial phase of the company, the drinking straw was produced with the help of a converted pasta machine at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Production now takes place at the German Institute of Food Technology - where it is possible to produce between 10,000 and 100,000 drinking straws per day.
The brown coating is formed when iron oxidizes. Rust is not only unattractive, it also causes damage because it continues to decompose the metal. Conventional rust solvents contain acids as an effective component, usually phosphoric or hydrochloric acid. These reverse the process and stop the formation of rust. Acids, however, are dangerous to handle and pollute the environment.
We drink from it, water the fields with it, or use it as a coolant or solvent: groundwater. This vast reservoir of water under our feet is essential for human and animal life, but for the majority of the time we take it entirely for granted. For groundwater ecologist Christian Griebler, this invisible water is far more than just a commodity. “The groundwater is so clean only because of the biology that it contains, which ultimately has a purifying function.
The start-up wijld uses wood as an alternative to polyester fibres, but also to cotton. If one compares the manufacturing process of a conventional cotton T-shirt with a wooden shirt, 1000 litres of water and more than 600 g CO2 are saved by using the wooden yarn. The wooden shirt is also very comfortable to wear. It is surprisingly soft and pleasant on the skin, also breathable, tearproof and antibacterial.
Blader of grass consists of about 50 percent cellulose, a highly resilient material. The cellulose from the blades of grass is broken down in a biorefinery. For this purpose, the blades of grass are washed in a warm water bath. The grass is cleaned of dirt and stones and the heat also loosens sugar, proteins and amino acids from the stalks. After drying, the blades of grass are fused with recycled plastic.
The profession of farming has a long tradition in Robert Hagemann’s family. Without the German reunification, however, it is unlikely that the native of Lower Saxony would have followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and father. In 1990, the family of the then 15-year-old Robert Hagemann moved to the region of Prignitz, where they established an agricultural business in Groß Pankow, far from his old home. “My father had always dreamed of having his own large company.