Germany has a recycling problem, even if it appears to be different at first glance. While the Federal Environment Agency reported a recycling rate of 99.4% for 2017, slightly more than half of the 6.15 million tonnes of collected plastic waste was thermally recycled, i.e. used to generate heat in waste incineration plants, cement works or power stations. Material recycling amounted to only 2.87 million tonnes (46.7%). This process conserves around three times as much of the energy contained in the plastic as can be used thermally by burning it.
Social inequalities in the bioeconomy
"No action without reaction" is a phrase that implies that every action has consequences. The shift from a petroleum-based economy to a sustainable, bio-based one entails multi-faceted changes - on a global scale. Sociologist Maria Backhouse is convinced that "no social changes, including technological developments, take place in a vacuum", but are "permeated by social inequalities from the global to the local level".
How climate change impacts fish species
Herring, pike-perch or salmon: fish is among the top healthy foods. The demand has been high for years. According to the Federal Statistical Office, in 2018 each person in Germany consumed about 13.7 kilograms. But Myron Peck knows that climate change will dictate which fish ends up on the plate in the future.
Bioeconomy as a global trend
German Federal Research Minister Anja Karliczek opened conference event with a welcome address together with the GBS2020 organizing International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB), which published a summit communiqué, making it available for a broad audience to discuss. Addressing the Summit today, the German Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Julia Klöckner emphasized the key role of agriculture and the food system in the sustainable bioeconomy.
Insulated packaging
Before Advent, Deutsche Post had already broken its previous record of 1.58 billion parcels delivered: online shopping and food deliveries are in greater demand than ever - especially in times of Corona. This results in huge amounts of packaging waste. Therefore, Landpack relies on straw instead of polystyrene.
Silage films made from biopolymers
After the harvest, straw bales wrapped in white plastic film dominate the landscape of many fields. In these so-called silage bales, fodder crops such as corn are turned into food for cattle through lactic acid fermentation. But the films used for this purpose are anything but environmentally friendly. They are made of conventional plastic and have been shown to leave traces of microplastics in the soil. "In addition - and this is particularly regrettable - they have so far been purely disposable and thus bad for the eco-balance," explains Isabell Kleiber.
Making almonds and nuts germ-free
Whether ground or roasted: Almonds and nuts are especially in demand during the Christmas season. But the protein-rich food is unfortunately also a source of salmonella, which can cause food infections. Now, researchers have succeeded in finding a way to make them germ-free.
High performance without oxygen
Biotechnology is no longer a new field, yet innovative processes are constantly emerging. Many of them could reach market maturity, but there is no industrial implementation routine in place yet. Among these are bioelectrochemical processes. The core of microbial bioelectrochemistry is the interaction of microorganisms with electrodes. Some bacteria can breathe with electrodes: Electrons generated during the production of a recyclable material are then not transferred to oxygen by these organisms during respiration, but are passed directly to an electrode.
Making the rhizosphere fit for the future
Whether wheat or corn, after two successive hot summers, farmers in many places are threatened with enormous crop failures this year due to persistent drought. Plants suffer from drought stress because the soil dries out and the root system is not supplied with sufficient water and nutrients. The challenges of climate change are therefore causing researchers to work hard to find promising scenarios for agriculture in the future.
"Bioeconomy is the core of sustainability policy"
Climate change and species extinction are the greatest challenges of our time. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a task that Dirk Messner, as President of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), wants to take up. The renowned political scientist and sustainability researcher sees the bioeconomy as an important driver for moving away from fossil fuels and using resources sustainably.