Chemistry

A sustainable bioeconomy pursues the goal of utilizing biomass as completely as possible while realizing as many material uses as possible. Usually, this is done in several successive processes that are bundled in biorefineries. But there is another way: with so-called torrefaction, a variety of products can be generated from biomass in just one step. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB) have developed such a process. In Estonia, a start-up now tests the process in a first industrial-scale prototype.

It is not only Bundesliga clubs that rely on artificial turf for their playing surfaces. Smaller clubs also prefer the low-maintenance and weather-independent material and are making the necessary investments. There are already around 9,000 artificial turf pitches in Germany. But these have so far been based on fossil raw materials and contribute to microplastics entering the environment. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has calculated that artificial turf pitches in Europe are responsible for 16,000 tons of microplastics in the environment every year.

Whether in cosmetics, detergents or cleaning agents: Surfactants can be found in many products. Today, however, the molecules should not only be more effective and skin-friendly than in the past, but also biodegradable and produced from renewable raw materials. Researchers in the LipoPep joint project have taken up these challenges. Under the leadership of TH Köln, research has been conducted over the past three years into how renewable raw materials from native plants such as lupins, sunflowers and rapeseed can be used to produce surfactants.

Aniline is an important component in the production of the plastic polyurethane, which is used for numerous everyday products such as mattresses or insulating materials. Until now, the chemical has been produced mainly on the basis of petroleum. Covestro, as one of the world's leading aniline producers, is breaking new ground. The Leverkusen-based materials manufacturer wants to produce the important chemical from plant biomass. The foundations for this were laid in recent years as part of the Bio4PUR and Bio4PURPro projects.

The chemical industry still relies predominantly on petroleum as a fossil raw material, but the industry is changing: bio-based raw materials such as residual and waste materials are increasingly being used as feedstock for the manufacture of chemical products. But processing biomass is not always easy. A team led by chemical engineer Jakob Albert from the University of Hamburg wants to tackle this problem. As part of the "BioValCat" project, the researchers want to develop an industrial process to extract ingredients for the chemical industry from biomass.

In 2013, AMSilk became the world's first company to produce biotechnologically manufactured spider silk modeled on nature. Founded in 2008 as a spin-off from the Technical University of Munich, the company uses transformed bacteria to produce the spider silk proteins. The microbial production and processing of the biodegradable silk protein requires only sugar from renewable plants, water, minerals and energy.

The decision to phase out coal has been made. From 2030, no more coal is to be mined in Germany. Regions like the Rhineland must therefore rethink. With the BioeconomyREVIER, the NRW state government has already set the course for a bio-based and sustainable economy in 2020. However, in order to drive structural change forward, corresponding innovations from research and development must be put into practice as quickly as possible.

Plastics are versatile and durable - but it is precisely their durability that poses a problem: petroleum-based plastics decompose only incompletely or not at all, thus polluting the environment. However, it is not yet possible to do without plastics altogether. That's why researchers around the world are looking for ways to recycle petroleum-based plastics. So far, only a small portion of the world's plastic waste is recycled. By identifying new biocatalysts, researchers have now paved the way for sustainable recycling of plastic waste.

Without microorganisms, there would be no bread, no cheese, no beer and no wine. The metabolic capabilities of bacteria, yeasts and molds are of particular importance with regard to a sustainable economy. With their help, renewable raw materials can be converted into new substances and customized products for the bioeconomy. Industrial biotechnology has therefore been using microorganisms as production factories for the manufacture of chemicals, drugs, vaccines or fuels for decades.