More than 9,000 public sewage treatment plants in Germany ensure that wastewater is biologically purified, thereby minimizing pollution of local water bodies. However, valuable nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are also lost during conventional treatment.
As an intermediate product of many metabolic pathways, acetyl-CoA is a central component in the production of vital biomolecules. The molecule binds carbon dioxide (CO2) and is therefore crucial for how efficiently the greenhouse gas is incorporated into metabolic processes in order to ultimately produce biomass.
Vegan cheese alternatives have one thing in common: they contain neither casein nor whey protein – although these proteins are essential for the characteristic flavour and texture of cheese made from animal milk. The biotech start-up Infinite Roots, which specialises in sustainable foods made from mushroom mycelium, now wants to remedy this shortcoming. Together with Hamburg University of Technology, the company is developing a technology to utilise whey as a nutrient for mycelium fermentation.
Alongside fats and carbohydrates, proteins are the main nutrients that the human body needs. Proteins serve as a building material for cells and tissue, can repair bones and tissue or control metabolic processes in the body as an enzyme. Researchers have therefore been endeavouring for years to recreate proteins on the computer and give them better properties. An international research team led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now developed a new method for designing proteins.
Climate change and dwindling resources are already posing major challenges for industry today. The industrial bioeconomy offers solutions for replacing fossil fuels with renewable raw materials, closing cycles and thus contributing to a resource-efficient and climate-neutral industry.
It may be just a thin protective layer, but the coating inside metal cans plays a crucial role in preserving food, keeping flavors fresh and preventing harmful chemical reactions between food and metal. However, these linings often contain bisphenol A (BPA), a substance banned by some governments due to concerns over health and environmental impacts.
Electrochaea GmbH is using a promising technology to make the production and, above all, storage of sustainably produced gas even more efficient. It involves microorganisms that are billions of years old, known as archaea, which act as biocatalysts in the conversion of electricity into gas. Following demonstration plants in Denmark, Switzerland and the USA, a biomethanisation plant will now also be built in Japan. According to Electrochaea, a corresponding five-year licence agreement has been concluded with the Japanese energy company Hitachi.
Engineer Felix Lenk is the founder and Managing Director of SmartLab Solutions GmbH. The spin-off from Dresden University of Technology develops hardware and IT solutions for the digitalised and automated laboratory of the future. These include the ‘Sens-o-Spheres’, a mobile measuring system the size of a pea that records important process parameters such as temperature in the culture medium of a bioreactor and transmits them to a base station.
In Europe, 7.5 million tonnes of used clothing end up in the bin every year. This is according to a study by management consultants McKinsey & Company. According to the study, a maximum of 30-35% of textile waste is recycled.
Whether wood residues, wheat straw, dairy residues or microalgae: In the production of important chemicals, fossil raw materials are increasingly being replaced by bio-based raw and residual materials.