A problem with many former mines is that their floodwater is usually contaminated with heavy metals, in the case of uranium mines, for example, with uranium. Environmental biotechnology has long been developing approaches to filter out these heavy metals with the help of microorganisms. Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have now discovered a promising bacterium for this purpose.
Agricultural and food systems are under increasing pressure due to climate change. Both the management of fields and the production of food must therefore be adapted to the new challenges in order to ensure food security and protect the environment. The cultivation of legumes has great potential: Legumes such as lentils and peas are not only rich in protein, but at the same time act as natural soil conditioners, which can save on the use of fertilizers.
Arthropods are irreplaceable for the preservation of the forest ecosystem by providing numerous services: they act as pollinators, remove dead plant parts and recycle these substances so that new, fertile soil can form. They are also the food base for numerous animals such as birds, bats or hedgehogs. But biodiversity in forests is under threat.
From bakery snacks to prepared frozen vegetables, many foods are so-called multicomponent systems and consist of a dry layer and a moist or creamy layer. One challenge in the production and storage of such foods is to prevent the dry layer from becoming moist. Researchers at the University of Hohenheim have now developed a biobased barrier layer made of oleogels for this purpose. The oleogel consists of vegetable oils and ethyl cellulose and can thus be used in the food sector.
Today, most garments are made of synthetic, petroleum-based fibers such as polyester, nylon, acrylic or elastane. When washed, they release microplastics that can enter the food chain through wastewater. Natural fibers like cotton don't cause this problem because they are biodegradable.
Nature has always been a driving force for technical developments. Also Silvia Vignolini draws inspiration from Nature in her research work. At the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (MPIKG) in Potsdam-Golm, the top physicist took over at the beginning of the year as Head of a newly established Department that focuses on the development of sustainable and bio-inspired materials. Her goal: artificial materials should be indistinguishable from natural materials.
Fallow land in agricultural landscapes of medium complexity has the greatest benefit for diverse bird life. This is the result of a nine-year study by the Thünen Institute, the Dachverband Deutscher Avifaunisten and the University of Göttingen. The researchers had evaluated correlations between the proportion of fallow land and the occurrence of agricultural birds.
A photo of a flower or leaf is usually enough for the app to recognize the plant. With Flora Incognita, researchers at the Illmenau University of Technology and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena have not only given amateur botanists a tool to easily recognize plants. Many researchers have since also been accessing the data sets in order to explore the distribution of plant species, for example. With the help of artificial intelligence, the team of developers from Illmenau and Jena was able to improve the performance of the app many times over.
Proteins are an indispensable part of nutrition. They are made up of amino acids, including L-alanine. Until now, most alanine has come from plant sources, which are mainly cultivated in the global south. The fields needed to grow it occupy large areas and affect biodiversity there. A research team at the Technical University of Munich has now presented an alternative production route: It is a biotechnological process based on the use of CO2 and green hydrogen as raw materials.
Bioplastics made from renewable raw materials and residues have the potential to replace petroleum-based plastics. Despite many advantages, however, there are still obstacles that prevent companies from manufacturing their products from bioplastics. These include higher production costs and an insufficient choice of bioplastic grades.