Chemistry

Microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and yeasts are the invisible little helpers of the bioeconomy. With their assistance, biological resources can be utilised, new bio-based products can be manufactured and production processes can be made more sustainable and efficient. In the search for new microorganisms for biotechnological applications, researchers in the newly launched EU project XTREAM now want to take a closer look at the earth's extreme habitats.

With their start-up Vyld, Ines Schiller and Melanie Schichan have developed the world's first tampon made from seaweed, the ‘Tangpon’. After positive tests with customers in 2023, the algae tampon has recently been approved and started being used in various sanitary facilities in Germany.

"Tangpons" in offices and at events

According to Vyld, the biodegradable tampon is now also convincing those who provide such hygiene products - for example in offices, fitness studios and at major events.

With the LOEWE Centre for Insect Biotechnology and Bioresources, the city of Giessen has developed into a world-leading location for insect biotechnology. Scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME and Justus Liebig University are jointly researching biotechnological methods to develop new products from insects. One focus of the work is on sustainable, insect-based technologies for the circular bioeconomy. Now the breeding of insects is also to be established on a large scale in Giessen.

The wood-processing industry produces large quantities of wood waste, which until now has either been disposed of at great expense or utilised for energy. Waste wood treated with wood preservatives can currently only be incinerated in special large-scale power plants, as the exhaust air has to be cleaned of the harmful substances. In the ‘H2Wood – BlackForest’ project, Fraunhofer researchers and their partners have now specifically sought alternative uses for wood waste in the Black Forest region, which is heavily characterised by wood processing.

How can nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, which are removed from the environment through the cultivation and consumption of food, be returned? This question was the focus of the ‘zirkulierBAR’ project, which was supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) from 2021 to 2024 as part of the REGION.innovativ funding programme. Following the completion of the three-year project, which was coordinated by the Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), the consortium has now summarised its results and findings in a handbook.

Humus is known to be good for the soil. The complex mixture of organic matter, such as dead animal and plant remains, serves as a food source for plants and soil microbes alike and is therefore a driving force for plant growth and soil health. It is primarily the humic substances contained in humus that ensure that moisture and nutrients are bound in the soil, convert microbial biomass into nutrient-rich biostimulants and make these available to plants. In practice, however, things often look different.