Chemistry

Bio-based - but not quite. That is often the case for sustainable building materials such as biofiber composites. Although natural fibers with excellent ecological and technical properties exist, resin is ultimately needed to turn them into the desired material. Until now, petroleum-based resin often had to be used because suitable sustainable alternatives are limited. Soon, things could be different: In the OrangeOil research project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, researchers are developing a bio-based epoxy resin.

Microalgae can produce many valuable substances, from dyes to omega-3 fatty acids or proteins, and are therefore a source of hope for the bioeconomy. They are not only used by manufacturers of food, animal feed and cosmetics. Microalgae are also becoming increasingly important for the production of biofuel and new plastics. The cultivation of these aquatic plants could also open up new business areas in agriculture.

Developing industrial biotechnology research in Germany to a top international level - that is the declared goal of the Wacker Chemical Group and the Technical University of Munich (TUM). To achieve this, the two partners have now founded the TUM WACKER Institute for Industrial Biotechnology. The institute is scheduled to commence operations as early as the coming winter semester. Wacker is funding the research there with €6 million spread over six years.

Some revolutions are slow in coming. Like the research work of the French company Carbios, which spent ten years pursuing its idea of developing a polyethylene (PET)-degrading enzyme. In 2013, just two years after its founding, the biochemical company made the leap to Euronext, the European stock exchange. Since then, several industrial partnerships have followed one after the other.

Our skin is home to millions of microorganisms that protect us from pathogens and shape the appearance of our skin. But with age, the skin's microbiome changes. As a result, the skin loses elasticity and wrinkles form. With Probiolift and Postbiolift, BASF's Care Creations division is launching two new cosmetic ingredients that, for the first time, rely on the power of the skin's own bacteria and are designed to help maintain a more youthful and fresh skin.

On July 4, 2022, the ceremonial opening of the new technical center at the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT) in Rostock took place. With the possibility of carrying out chemical experiments on a kilogram scale, it is intended to bridge the gap between basic research and practice. The federal government and the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania provided a total of around 12 million euros for the construction, which took three and a half years to complete.

This year's asparagus season has recently come to an end. Although the season fell far short of expectations for asparagus farmers, huge quantities of asparagus peels ended up in the waste. A research team at Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts wondered whether these residual materials could not be put to better use in the sense of a biobased circular economy.

For decades, the German Founder Award has been promoting entrepreneurial achievements and business ideas that are particularly capable of meeting the challenges of the future and sustainably changing entire industries. The award, which was established in 1997, is presented annually in the categories Student, StartUp, Newcomer and Lifetime Achievement. The jury has now once again selected founders whose business models challenge traditional methods. This year's winners include the bioeconomy start-up Traceless Materials.

Mistletoe branches are considered lucky charms in many places. Here, the white berried mistletoe (Viscum album) with its white berry fruits is particularly widespread. It grows on deciduous trees such as birches, poplars or apple trees and is considered a semi-parasitic plant because it extracts water and the mineral salts it contains from the host plant. The white berries of mistletoe have now attracted the interest of materials scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (MPIKG) in Potsdam.