Chemistry

There are two sides to everything – even carbon dioxide (CO₂): on the one hand the rapid increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration due to the burning of fossil fuels causes intensification of the greenhouse effect, which in turn fuels global warming. On the other hand, CO₂ is essential to keep plants, algae and some bacteria alive: they convert the greenhouse gas into biomass in a process known as photosynthesis, in which CO₂ and water are used to produce sugars and oxygen.

Dry cleaners are very helpful when it comes to the stain removal off of delicate fabric. However, the chemicals used in the cleaning process are often very damaging to the environment. The average dry cleaning business produces a number of harmful waste products, including solvents, soils, carbon, dyes, grease, and powdered filter material.

There are many reasons why insects are vanishing in alarming numbers. One reason is intensive farming and the corresponding use of synthetic crop protection agents and pesticides. For instance, the widespread use of the neonicotinoids has been shown to be hazardous to the health of bees and bumblebees.

Tasty food is “mouth-watering”. However, saliva I so much more than water: It contains mucosal and immune cells as well as a large number of molecules that perform a wide variety of biological functions such as ensuring healthy teeth, gums, and oral mucosa. Moreover, saliva is the first barrier against pathogens. Therefore, it also contains a number of antimicrobial molecules, including the antibacterial lysozyme. These are part of the innate molecular immune system.

Methionine is an essential amino acid which is used on a large scale in animal feed. It is currently being manufactured from petrochemical source materials, in a process that uses highly toxic hydrogen cyanide. In 2013, Evonik Industries, one of the world's largest producers of methionine, invited university researchers to propose new processes for making the substance safer to produce. Now, researchers at the Technical University Munich (TUM) have developed an enzymatic process that extracts methionine from the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Sustainability is a major issue for industry and business right now. Green chemistry is the tool for a more sustainable economy. For example, the activity of enzymes can be modified in such a way that they can be used in biotechnological plants for the fermentation of residues or the production of biobased materials.

Many foods such as cheese, yoghurt, beer, yeast dough or soy sauce have a special characteristic taste and are therefore very popular. So-called non-volatile substances in particular are the basic building blocks for these unique taste profiles. These building blocks in turn consist of fragments of long protein molecules that are formed during the microbial or enzymatic conversion (fermentation) of milk or cereal proteins.

Even the IPCC has taken note: Chemists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a process that uses algae to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it in to carbon fiber. What's more, it can do so in a cost-effective way.

Large quantities of fossil fuels are still used for the production of medicines, cosmetics or even food. However, such fossil-based raw material is not only finite, but also extremely harmful to the environment. That is why a number of chemists, process engineers and engineers are working towards a more environmentally friendly production by using enzymes and biobased processes.

Next to cellulose, lignin is the most important plant raw material. Its structure-giving properties make the wood ingredient particularly interesting for the bioeconomy. The chemical industry in particular relies on lignin as a starting material for new bio-based plastics and materials. At present, however, the biopolymer is still used primarily for energy production. As a by-product of cellulose and bioethanol production, lignin has hardly been used so far due to its high sulfur content and has been burned instead.