From wheat straw to textile fiber

The textile industry's interest in sustainable materials is growing. In particular, this revolves around alternatives to cotton, but also around replacing petroleum-based synthetic fabrics. Expanding the raw material base for textile fibers is the goal of a new research project. As part of the CRF-Sraw project, researchers at the University of Hamburg, together with fiber expert J. Rettenmaier & Söhne, now want to make agricultural residues usable for fiber production.

Improve cascade use of the hemp plant

Hemp is one of the oldest crops in the world. The various parts of the plant are used to produce textile fibers, building materials, fuels, medicinal products and foodstuffs. As many uses hemp has, as numerous are the residual and waste materials that are produced during processing. Leaves and blossoms, hemp hurds, hemp dust or even extraction residues from hemp oil production are hardly ever used. Researchers at the German Biomass Research Center (DBFZ) and Hanffaser Uckermark eG want to change that.

Winter barley: Old landraces reveal path to virus resistance

Yield losses of up to 50% - these are the possible consequences when winter barley becomes infected with barley yellow mosaic virus or mild barley mosaic virus. Fortunately, this rarely happens anymore because today's cultivars have resistance to these viruses. Recently, however, virus strains have appeared with increasing frequency that have been able to overcome these established resistance mechanisms. Large-scale crop failures would thus only have been a matter of time.

Microclimate influences epigenetics of field penny-cress

The environment influences how the activity of DNA is regulated - this has long been known. Now, however, researchers at the University of Tübingen have quantified the magnitude of this influence for the first time for the field penny-cress (Thlaspi arvense). Previously, this had only been studied for a few plant species. Field penny-cress could gain importance in the future as a winter cover crop and as a raw material for biofuels.

Networking for the bioeconomy

The emergence of the Green movement in the 1980s was formative for Birgit Lewandowski. The plans for the construction of a hydroelectric power plant on the Danube near Vienna were a wake-up call for the native Austrian and at the same time set the course for the future. Having grown up in the countryside in the green belt of Vienna, the preservation of the Hainburger Au was close to her heart.

Innovation award for lightweight pallets made of biopolymer foam

When it comes to storing and loading heavy goods, industry often turns to so-called Euro pallets. These load carriers are usually made of wood, can be used universally and can carry up to 1,500 kilograms. Although there are also pallets made of plastic, these are still used quite rarely compared to the wooden variant. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT in Pfinztal near Karlsruhe have developed a high-performance lightweight pallet made of foamed biopolymers.

Fungus-resistant cereal varieties contribute to climate protection

Fertilization practices, monocultures or animal husbandry are to blame: With a share of 8% of Germany's greenhouse gas emissions, agriculture is a major contributor to climate change. At the same time, the agricultural sector is feeling the consequences of global warming among the hardest. Thanks to the breeding of new varieties, agricultural productivity has been demonstrably increased. However, it was previously unclear what effect the advances in plant breeding in recent decades have had on the carbon footprint.