A team of scientists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have discovered an unusual way to protect mortar from moisture. When mortar is being mixed, the scientists add a biofilm – a soft, moist substance produced by bacteria, which makes it highly resistant to water absorption. This enables the concrete to self-heal by closing the cracks autonomously.
And to help the company move forward in this endeavour, the Essen-based company has acquired French start-up Alkion Biopharma SAS. The start-up, which is based in Evry, specialises in the creation of biotechnological active ingredients from plant biomass to be used in cosmetics. Alkion Biopharma was founded as a spin-off from the Imperial College in London in 2011. The company has developed methods for cultivating plant biomass under laboratory conditions and obtaining extracts from the biomass with an exceptionally high yield of complex ingredients.
The results: the total European bioeconomy amounted to €2.1tn turnover in 2013, roughly half of which came from the food, feed and beverages sectors. The so-called bio-based industries – chemicals and plastics, pharmaceuticals, paper and paper products, forest-based industries, textile sector, biofuels and bioenergy – contributed with €600bn.
Inventors at the Dresden-based company Lignotubes technologies have developed a resource-efficient process for lightweight construction tubes – Lignotubes, which are manufactured as a multilayer composite of individual layers of veneer. The result is lightweight, thin-walled and resilient tubes with a minimum use of real wood. The individual veneer layers are glued crosswise. The first product is a designer bicycle with a frame made out of Lignotubes.
Since 2010, Jörg Riesmeier’s first responsibility has been as managing director of the Cologne-based biotech company Direvo IBT. However, the 48-year-old biochemist already established his credentials as a company head some years ago. In 2006, after finishing his degree studies and completing a lightning-fast doctorate in Berlin (“two years and ten days”), he was one of the founders of the Potsdam-based plant biotech start-up PlantTec, as well as its first managing director.
Milk is not only an important food source, it also has the potential to win over fashion fans. It is also the raw material for the small textile company Qmilch from Lower Saxony. Fibres can be produced from the milk protein casein. In Germany alone, around 1.9 tonnes of milk is accrued each year, which cannot be used in the food industry. This includes the colostrum of calving cows or milk filtrate accrued in the production of cheese.
The eco-friendly blocks consist mainly of a mixture of wood fibres and a carbohydrate-rich raw material such as potato starch. Large quantities of the fibres are accrued as a by-product of the wood industry – up to 40% of the raw material. The majority is processed into paper. Thermoplastic composites are a new product from which the bricks are produced. The bricks have a wood-like appearance, high resistance and can be dyed.
From espresso to functional clothing: the Taiwanese company Singtex is a pioneer in using coffee grounds for the production of sustainable textile fibres. The biggest challenge in the production of its “S.Café” clothing range was the neutralisation of the coffee aroma. First, the coffee grounds are crushed into microscopic pieces and then mixed with polyester fibres. Hugo Boss, Nike and Vaude use these fibres to make sportswear and leisurewear.
With the help of modern breeding procedures, researchers from the Fraunhofer Society have transformed the dandelion from a wild plant into an agricultural crop, which is robust and high yielding. Together with the tyre company Continental, a pilot plant for the production of dandelion-based rubber has been set up in Germany. The sap from the dandelion roots is extracted from this pilot plant.
Cosmetic manufacturers are increasingly using bioactive ingredients in their products, including enzymes. Enzymes are biomolecules, which are produced in biological mini-factories. These biocatalysts accelerate natural processes and can take on many different tasks. Some can help to smooth out wrinkles, others remove impurities from the skin.