For agriculture, it is important that crops are as high-yielding as possible and robust against diseases. Breeding aims to pass on useful properties of plants. But in plant breeding, these useful traits are often lost if the genes on the chromosomes are too far apart. Using the molecular gene scissors CRISPR-Cas, researchers can specifically modify or switch off genes.
In 2020, the bioeconomy strategy "Zukunft.Bioökonomie.Bayern" (Future.Bioeconomy.Bavaria) paved the way for a sustainable and ecologically responsible as well as socially just and thus sustainable way of life and economy in Bavaria. The use of renewable raw materials plays a central role in this.
Former dumps from landfills or mining operations often resemble moonscapes and revitalization of such areas can take nature decades. A research team has now shown that it can be done more quickly: Using biogenic residues, the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS) and its partners have brought a landfill site in the Leipzig area back to life within a short period of time. The project involved landfill operators, sewage sludge recyclers, special machinery manufacturers and agricultural experts.
Food security is the most important task of agriculture. However, the sector is responsible for a large proportion of climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions, which are mainly due to livestock farming. This also leads to the loss of biodiversity through monocultures and fertilization practices. Experts have long called for a rethink on meat consumption. But what would be the impact on agriculture in Germany of cutting out schnitzel, steak and the like? Researchers at the Öko-Institut have investigated this in a study commissioned by Greenpeace.
When people see a farm today, only few think of agriculture's actual task of producing vital food. Instead, younger people in particular associate it primarily with problems relating to animal welfare, nature conservation and climate protection. The RESPECTfarms project aims to change this - by developing concepts for how farms can produce cultured meat instead of traditional livestock farming in the future. Cultured meat is produced by multiplying animal cells in a bioreactor. Animals do not have to be kept or killed for this purpose.
Microplastics are a global problem: The tiny particles, invisible to the eye, can be found everywhere - in rivers, in the sea, in the soil and even in the Arctic. Many of these fossil plastic particles end up in the environment via cosmetics and cleaning products. Similarly, other synthetic polymers used as thickeners, stabilizers, film formers and emulsifiers are also endangering ecosystems.
To achieve climate targets, industry must cut emissions such as carbon dioxide. Using it as a source of raw materials therefore seems a promising way forward: using biotechnological processes, the carbon it contains can be processed into new products. An industrial consortium led by Swiss sporting goods manufacturer On is now demonstrating the potential of carbon-containing industrial waste gases and presenting Cloudprime, the first sneaker made from such carbon waste.
Known as Chinese reed, Miscanthus grass is a hardy and undemanding plant. Once introduced to the field, it grows for decades - even on contaminated and abandoned soils. The plant also produces a great amount of biomass, which is suitable for the production of sustainable chemicals or building and insulation materials, as well as for energy use. Such use of miscanthus for bioenergy production was the focus of a project involving researchers from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Forschungszentrum Jülich and Hunan Agricultural University in China.
Large quantities of climate-damaging greenhouse gases are released in agriculture every year as a result of livestock farming and fertilization practices. Criticism focuses on the introduction of excessive nitrate levels into the soil through nitrogen fertilizers and the import of feedstuffs such as soy from abroad. According to the German Federal Environment Agency, agriculture was responsible for about 8% of greenhouse gas emissions in this country in 2021, according to initial estimates. The cultivation of industrial hemp could reduce this problem.
The German Founders' Award is one of the most prestigious business prizes in Germany. Since 1997, the trophy has been used to promote entrepreneurial achievements and business ideas that are particularly capable of meeting the challenges of the future and sustainably changing entire industries. Plastic waste is one of these global problems. With the development of a biomaterial from agricultural residues that is fully compostable and can replace conventional plastic, the Hamburg-based start-up Traceless Materials convinced the jury of the German Founders' Prize.