Chemistry

They are young and they have innovative ideas in store: kids and young people aged up to 21 who put their talents to the test in the STEM competition Jugend forscht. This year's winners were announced in Bremen on May 21 in the presence of the Federal Minister of Education and Research, Bettina Stark-Watzinger. A total of 173 young STEM talents qualified for this year's national finals in seven subject areas with 108 innovative research projects.

From bakery snacks to prepared frozen vegetables, many foods are so-called multicomponent systems and consist of a dry layer and a moist or creamy layer. One challenge in the production and storage of such foods is to prevent the dry layer from becoming moist. Researchers at the University of Hohenheim have now developed a biobased barrier layer made of oleogels for this purpose. The oleogel consists of vegetable oils and ethyl cellulose and can thus be used in the food sector.

Proteins are an indispensable part of nutrition. They are made up of amino acids, including L-alanine. Until now, most alanine has come from plant sources, which are mainly cultivated in the global south. The fields needed to grow it occupy large areas and affect biodiversity there. A research team at the Technical University of Munich has now presented an alternative production route: It is a biotechnological process based on the use of CO2 and green hydrogen as raw materials.

Bioplastics made from renewable raw materials and residues have the potential to replace petroleum-based plastics. Despite many advantages, however, there are still obstacles that prevent companies from manufacturing their products from bioplastics. These include higher production costs and an insufficient choice of bioplastic grades.

From yogurt pots and chip bags to cardboard boxes: The majority of packaging ends up in the trash shortly after use. 18.8 million tons of waste were generated in Germany alone in 2020, according to the Federal Statistical Office. 46% of this was generated in private households. To save raw materials and protect the environment, sustainable packaging solutions are needed. Students at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart have an alternative. A five-member team called EDGGY has developed edible packaging.

Less than two years ago, a team of researchers at the University of Leipzig reported that they had discovered an enzyme that degrades the plastic polyethylene terephthalate - better known as PET - at high speed. Now the experts have followed up and improved this enzyme even further.

It has been ten years since AMSilk first processed biotechnologically produced spider silk into fibers. Today, the artificial spider silk threads called Biosteel are used in numerous high-tech products such as running shoes, watch straps, door handle loops and aircraft wings. Spider silk proteins are also used in medicine and cosmetics.

Wastewater has long since become a valuable resource for recycling nutrients such as phosphate or returning water to the cycle. For this, however, all pollutants such as pharmaceutical residues or corrosion protection agents must be removed from the wastewater. This is usually done with activated carbon, because the pollutants easily stick to this carbonaceous and porous material. But activated carbon is mainly obtained from lignite and hard coal.

In vehicle construction, in aviation, in the furniture industry or in medical technology: Composite materials are used wherever lightweight and load-bearing elements are required. By combining different materials, composite materials are created that have certain properties and meet specific requirements. However, conventional composites are usually made from fossil raw materials such as concrete and are not sustainable. Not only does the production process cause significant CO2 emissions. Recycling is also energy-intensive.