Evonik and Siemens have entered into a joint research project called Rheticus. Approximately 20 researchers from both companies will be working on electrolysis and fermentation processes for the next two years. The first test plant is scheduled to go on stream by 2021 at the Evonik facility in Marl, Germany. This plant produces chemicals such as butanol and hexanol – both of which are the basis for special plastics and food supplements.
Surgery is always risky and a burden on patients, even if they are successful. A research cooperation of several companies and the Thuringian Institute for Textile and Plastics Research (TITK), which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics, now wants to eliminate a major inconvenience of these treatments: They are developing a suture made of bio-based synthetic fibers, which would besafer and more comfortable for the patients.
Polyethylene terephalate, better known as PET, is one of the most important plastics worldwide. However, only a small part of the production will be recycled - far more material ends up polluting the environment. According to information from the Federal Environmental Agency, it takes up to 450 years before a PET bottle dissolves by itself. As early as 2016, researchers first discovered a bacterium that is able to decompose plastic. To date, however, only a few enzymes are known that possess this ability.
New concepts for the cultivation of food in urban environments are in demand to ensure food security for future generations. Under the umbrella term"urban farming", methods like aquaponics have proven to be a promising alternative. The combination of fish and plants, which use each other in a recirculation system to grow tomatoes and lettuce, not only saves arable land, but above all fertilizer and water. Fish excretion is processed into plant fertilizer by bacteria. In return, the hydroponic plants purify the water of the fish in the aquarium.
Spider silk is a natural fabric with outstanding properties. Spider silk threads are thin but extremely elastic and at the same time as strong as steel. The German biotechnology company AMSilk GmbH produces the material in a bioreactor by converting bacteria into tiny factories for the spider silk protein. The coveted protein can be produced in large quantities with the help of the Escherichia coli microbe. The white powder obtained in this way can be processed into various products, it can even be spun into high-tech fibres.
Every year, 1.6 million people worldwide die from infections with the bacterium Streptococcus. Although there are vaccines against the pathogen, they are largely ineffective against one of the approximately 90 known variants, the so-called serotype 1, which is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa and causes many cases of meningitis there.
Specialised wristwatches and smartphone apps not only measure our exercise performance, but also help to systematically and individually plan our training in advance and thus help improve our performance. By now, these "wearables" are part of the standard equipment even for amateur athletes. But can the athletic performance also be controlled and improved upon by the clothing itself?
There are two sides to everything – even carbon dioxide (CO2): on the one hand the rapid increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration due to the burning of fossil fuels causes intensification of the greenhouse effect, which in turn fuels global warming. On the other hand, CO2 is essential to keep plants, algae and some bacteria alive: they convert the greenhouse gas into biomass in a process known as photosynthesis, in which CO2 and water are used to produce sugars and oxygen.
At DESY's X-ray light source PETRA III in Hamburg, a team led by Swedish researchers has produced the strongest bio-material that has ever been made. The artifical, but bio-degradable cellulose fibres are stronger than steel and even dragline spider silk, which had been considered the strongest bio-based material thus far.
There are many reasons why insects are vanishing in alarming numbers. One reason is intensive farming and the corresponding use of synthetic crop protection agents and pesticides. For instance, the widespread use of the neonicotinoids has been shown to be hazardous to the health of bees and bumblebees.