Chemistry

"The Entrepreneur" by Kevin Rittberger at the Residenztheater in Munich is a premiere in two respects. When the curtain rises on December 9, 2022, at the Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel, not only the actors but also, for the first time, a stage set will be in the spotlight. An eight-meter-high tree trunk made of a sustainable material will be presented. A composite material made of wood chips and mushroom mycelium was used to build this backdrop.

The textile industry's interest in sustainable materials is growing. In particular, this revolves around alternatives to cotton, but also around replacing petroleum-based synthetic fabrics. Expanding the raw material base for textile fibers is the goal of a new research project. As part of the CRF-Sraw project, researchers at the University of Hamburg, together with fiber expert J. Rettenmaier & Söhne, now want to make agricultural residues usable for fiber production.

Collaboration is followed by acquisition: German pharmaceutical and chemical company Bayer has bought the start-up Targenomix. The two companies have already been working together since the spin-off from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in 2014. Targenomix uses systems biology and bioinformatics methods to identify new molecular targets for crop protection products.

They are indispensable for the plastics industry: polyamides (PA). The polymers are used, for example, to produce synthetic fibers for textiles or technical applications. The best-known synthetic fiber is nylon, which is used in women's stockings as well as hot air balloons and car tires. However, the popular polyamides are usually obtained from crude oil.

When it comes to storing and loading heavy goods, industry often turns to so-called Euro pallets. These load carriers are usually made of wood, can be used universally and can carry up to 1,500 kilograms. Although there are also pallets made of plastic, these are still used quite rarely compared to the wooden variant. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT in Pfinztal near Karlsruhe have developed a high-performance lightweight pallet made of foamed biopolymers.

AMSilk's biotech spider silk proteins are already used in a range of products. Just last year, the world's first commercial supplier of biotech silk polymers raised a multi-million investment from new investors to expand its market presence outside Europe.

Mosquitoes can make spending time outdoors miserable - especially if you don't have a suitable insect repellent to hand. There are sprays or creams that are supposed to keep the insects away. But if you spend a lot of time outdoors, you need to renew your protection regularly. Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have now found a way to make the protection last not just hours, but even days.

The new Packaging Act, which came into force in January 2019, paved the way for more bio-based packaging and increased recycling rates. In particular, the recycling of plastic packaging takes on a high priority. Single-use plastic products such as eating utensils or drinking straws have been banned throughout the EU since last year and have since been gradually replaced with sustainable materials. However, reusable products such as beverage bottles are also made of plastics and are largely disposed of or incinerated at the end of their life cycle.