Chemistry

A guide to algae cultivation

The green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a well-known model organism, especially in molecular biology. Here, the unicellular organism is used to research photosynthesis in living cells, metabolism and protein transport. The alga is also becoming increasingly important as a biofactory for the production of hydrogen. However, the cultivation of C. Chlamydomonas in the laboratory has its pitfalls.

Marine sugars from algae

Carrageenan – it sounds exotic, but for many people, it’s already a part of everyday life. In yogurt, ice cream, or toothpaste, carrageenan helps ensure the right consistency and stability. The plant-based gelling and thickening agent is commonly used in foods as additive E 407 and is approved without quantity restrictions. The substance comes from red algae and consists of long sugar chains with many so-called sulfate groups. These very sulfations make carrageenan both intriguing and complex.

How a marine bacterium digests oil

Oil spills occur time and again in the world's oceans with serious consequences for the entire ecosystem. But here, too, nature has microbial helpers at the ready that can contain the spread of the oil slick and thus the environmental pollution. These are marine bacteria that feed on crude oil. A research team led by the University of Bonn has now taken a closer look at such a marine bacterium. RWTH Aachen University, HHU Düsseldorf and the Jülich Research Centre were involved in the study.

PAPACKS establishes industrial hemp for large-scale production

Packaging, whether plastic or paper, is an integral part of everyday life, but ends up in the bin after a short time. This wastes valuable resources. Instead of cutting down trees to obtain cellulose for the packaging industry, PAPACKS relies on industrial hemp. Founded in 2013, the Cologne-based company has now established its own supply chain for certified industrial hemp with Ukrainian Hemp, thereby securing access to the renewable raw material on an industrial scale.

“Dyes from fungi are an alternative to synthetic colors”

When people think of natural dyes, they usually think of plants. However, fungi also offer a broad spectrum of colors. Unlike plant-based natural dyes, the potential of fungi as dye producers is still largely unknown. Moreover, there is still a lack of suitable biotechnological processes for cultivating dyes from fungal mycelium. A team led by Berlin-based biochemist Friederike Hoberg aims to overcome this challenge in the MycoColors project. The goal is to explore the potential of fungal-based dyes and establish their use in the fashion and textile industries.

Mushroom-based filters for water purification

Every year, trillions of liters of wastewater are treated in sewage treatment plants. What flows out of households, businesses, and industry is processed in three elaborate purification stages. However, current treatment facilities are still unable to remove 100% of all pollutants. As a result, persistent chemicals, microplastics, and pharmaceuticals continue to find their way into bodies of water – and therefore into nature. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Straubing have been working on a solution.

Climate-neutral marine fuel from wastewater

Methanol is a sought-after chemical that is used for fuel production, among other things, and is made from fossil raw materials. The start-up Icodos - a spin-off of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) - has developed an environmentally friendly alternative for the production of this all-purpose chemical: instead of crude oil and natural gas, biogas from waste streams such as sewage sludge is used as a raw material source in combination with renewable electricity to produce biomethane and e-methanol.

Dye molecules of photosynthesis imitated

For millions of years, plants have been obtaining energy from photosynthesis. In this process, carbon and water are converted into sugar and oxygen with the help of sunlight. Imitating this natural metabolic pathway technically would have many advantages and is therefore an ambitious goal of numerous research teams. Chemists at Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, have now come one step closer to artificial photosynthesis.

Hormones control interaction between plant and root fungus

The majority of plants live in symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi. This subterranean symbiosis is equally beneficial for plants and root fungi. But how do such symbioses develop and how do plants decide whether or not to interact? A team led by symbiosis researcher Caroline Gutjahr from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam has provided new insights into this.

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