Chemistry

It has been known for several years that bacteria can degrade PET, which is mainly used for plastic bottles: Microorganisms such as Ideonella sakaiensis - discovered in 2016 on a partially decayed PET bottle in Japan - release an enzyme called PETase. This enzyme is able to break down the chain molecules of the plastic into its components. "This is of particular interest when it comes to the degradation of microparticles, for example microplastics," explains Daniel Moog, head of the junior research group at the Philipps University in Marburg.

The chemical industry is intensively researching ways to replace crude oil with renewable alternatives. Of particular interest here is the approach of using the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, which is produced as exhaust gas in many processes. In this way, the climate could be protected at the same time as carbon could be fed into a sustainable circular economy. The newly launched "ElkaSyn" project is now investigating two approaches to making such processes more efficient and thus more economical.

For many pollutants such as pesticides, the legislator has set threshold values. Below these limits, exposure is considered harmless. However, this does not seem to apply to many living organisms, including humans, as ecotoxicologists at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) have now been able to show.

The industry is relying more and more on natural substances and, with this, satisfying consumer demand for more biobased and sustainably produced products. Plant-based products and ingredients are particularly in demand in the cosmetics industry. Through a new strategic partnership with the French company Plant Advanced Technologies (PAT), the Swiss chemical group Clariant intends to expand its involvement in this business field.

The bacterium Escherichia coli is one of the favourite organisms of microbiologists and biotechnologists. E. coli is easy to cultivate in the laboratory. It has been well researched and is well suited for the implementation of biotechnological processes. So far, however, the bacterium has used carbohydrates as a source of carbon both in nature and in industrial applications. An international research team led by the Weizman Institute in Israel has now succeeded in converting the diet of E. coli to carbon dioxide from the air.

Astin is a herbal agent to which healing powers are attributed - not least in the fight against cancer. One source of this medicinal substance is Aster tataricus, also known as Tatarinow's aster. This medicinal plant, which is native to the higher altitudes of Asia, is used primarily in traditional Chinese medicine. A research team from the University of Tübingen and the Technical University of Dresden has now succeeded in isolating astins from the plant, cultivating them and producing them in larger quantities using biotechnology.

The world of fossil plastics is slowly shrinking. More and more new alternative plastic products based on renewable raw materials or residual materials are conquering the market. Even if not all new bioplastics are also biodegradable, the production of environmentally friendly materials will continue to increase.

Conventional combustion engines will continue to play a role in transportation for some time to come. However, in order to achieve the climate protection goals, the fuels for these engines must not come from fossil sources. At the same time, biofuels should not compete with food and animal feed cultivation. One possibility is biofuels made from residual or waste materials. To this end, researchers at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW) have now developed a production process that uses the fat from a deep fryer and hydrogen.

It is a big step on the way away from crude oil and towards a bio-based future: The chemical park Leuna, steeped in tradition, will become the site of an industrial biorefinery. Finnish group UPM, one of the world's leading manufacturers of paper, pulp and wood products, announced the plans on 30 January 2020. The company will invest the impressive sum of 550 million euros in the construction of the plant. The biorefinery will produce wood-based biochemicals.

Pentylene glycol is a moisturizing agent that is contained in almost all creams. The divalent alcohol is odorless and colorless. Compared to the common alcohol ethanol, the so-called diol ensures that the skin optimally binds moisture and active agents. At the same time, it acts as an antimicrobial and thus keeps bacteria away. Pentylene glycol is therefore a natural preservative. To date, however, pentylene glycol has been obtained almost exclusively from natural gas and crude oil.