The Potsdam Science Park in the Golm district is increasingly developing from a science campus into a dynamic innovation ecosystem. This became clear once again at this year's Potsdam Science Park Conference (PSP Conference 2023). The two-day event attracted around 160 guests from science, business and administration to the Fraunhofer Conference Center on 9 and 10 October.

Bacteria and fungi have long been important tools for the chemical company BASF to make the chemical industry more sustainable. With their help, renewable raw materials such as glucose can be converted into bio-based and environmentally friendly products through fermentation. The new fermentation plant at the BASF site in Ludwigshafen is therefore a further step for the listed company in the planned conversion of its production processes towards sustainability.

Not releasing carbon dioxide from industrial processes into the atmosphere, but upgrading it chemically, this approach is intended to make a small contribution to the climate neutrality of the economy. Compared to possible eternal storage facilities for CO₂, this is also economically interesting because no disposal costs are incurred and a profit can even be made. Accordingly, intensive research is being conducted on appropriate CO₂ utilisation processes.

Biogas is one of the components that are to replace fossil raw materials in the energy transition. It is produced by microbial communities fermenting biomass. In principle, the processes involved are well understood, but how the microbial communities are composed has only been partially researched so far. An international research team with the participation of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus - Senftenberg (BTU) has taken on this task – and made an important discovery.

Whether in food packaging, cosmetics, pesticides or outdoor textiles: per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances – PFAS for short – are contained in many products. These industrially produced chemicals are not only particularly resistant to oil and water, but also to temperatures and chemicals. As diverse as the applications of PFASs are, these substances are equally dangerous when they enter the environment, where they cannot be degraded naturally. PFASs have been detected in more than 70% of groundwater monitoring wells in the EU.

The number of hot days with air temperatures of at least 30 degrees Celsius has been increasing in Germany for years as a result of climate change. This is documented by long-term records of the German Weather Service. In contrast, there is hardly any data on the temperature development in the ground, as the measurements are very complex. In a project coordinated by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), a team of researchers has now examined the development of ground temperature in more detail.

Deep in the sea, there is apparently another biological solution to the global plastic waste problem: researchers from the universities of Kiel, Hamburg and Düsseldorf have discovered an enzyme in a microorganism from the deep sea that breaks down the plastic polyethylene terephthalate, or PET for short. PET is the main component of many plastic bottles.

The European Union invests 6 million euros in a research network that aims to improve the barley cereal plant in several respects by 2028. BEST-CROP (Boosting photosynthESis To deliver novel CROPs for the circular bioeconomy) is the name of the project involving 18 European plant breeding companies, straw processing companies and academic plant research institutions. They want to adapt barley to dry climates, increase its yields and optimize the stalks for material use.