Chemistry

For several years, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research (ISC) have been working on compostable barrier layers that could help biopolymers achieve a breakthrough in their use as sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging materials. With bioORMOCER, the team has come up with a material that can be used in a variety of ways. It is a bio-based coating that can be applied to improve the barrier performance of conventional bio-packaging and replace so-called eternity chemicals from the PFAS spectrum.

Bio-LNG is a mix of fossil liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied biomethane. As biomethane is obtained from sustainable residues such as slurry and manure, its CO₂ intensity is negative. The resulting mixture of bio-LNG from biomethane and fossil methane can therefore reduce CO₂ emissions.

The demand for environmentally friendly and resource-conserving products is growing, and with it the search by companies for alternatives to their previous, often petroleum-based production methods and processes. The Munich-based biotechnology start-up Insempra has developed a technology platform that makes it possible to obtain natural ingredients from renewable raw materials.

Industrial biotechnology utilises microorganisms or individual biomolecules such as enzymes in bioprocesses as the basis for the industrial production of chemicals, biopharmaceuticals or food additives. The key players are cells as living factories that can produce a desired product in large quantities in closed bioreactors. Developing bioprocesses in such a way that the biotechnological production of a product is optimised is very time-consuming and complex.

Soil is home to countless microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae. These invisible microorganisms form communities in a wide variety of ways, ensuring a smooth nutrient cycle and thus fertile soil and plant growth. How these microorganisms work together and which factors promote or inhibit growth has been the subject of research at Friedrich Schiller University Jena for many years.

The construction of a demonstration plant is a decisive milestone for the bioeconomy start-up traceless materials on the way to the market launch of its innovative biomaterial. Last year, the team led by the two founders Johanna Baare and Anne Lamp received 36.6 million euros from investors and a further 5 million euros in funding from the Federal Ministry for the Environment.

Enriching the textile industry with bio-based solutions – this common strategic goal led to a collaboration between the world's first commercial supplier of biotech silk polymers from Martinsried, AMSilk, and the Zwingenberg-based biotechnology company BRAIN Biotech just over a year ago. The aim of the collaboration was to establish high-performance protein-based fibers for the textile industry.

Many building materials - whether concrete or insulating materials - are made from petroleum-based raw materials and are energy-intensive to produce. Large quantities of the climate-damaging greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) are produced, particularly during the manufacture of the binding agent cement.

Microalgae are seen as the beacon of hope for the bioeconomy. Sunlight, carbon dioxide and water are enough for these tiny creatures to produce enormous quantities of biomass in a short space of time, which can be used for both material and energy purposes. Microalgae not only bind large quantities of carbon dioxide. As they can also absorb pollutants, microalgae have proven their worth as wastewater purifiers.