Press release - 07/06/2010 The dilemma of plants fighting infections Scientists from Tübingen reveal an evolutionary dilemma: plants that are more resistant to disease grow more slowly and are less competitive than susceptible relatives when enemies are rare.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/the-dilemma-of-plants-fighting-infections
Article - 07/06/2010 Biomass has great potential if used properly Up until now biotechnology has mainly been focused on the production of enzymes basic chemical and pharmaceutical substances as well as other biobased materials. From now on efforts will be made to exploit the potential of biotechnology at the beginning of value creation chains by improving the access to regenerative resources. Apart from its potential for use as food and animal feed there are two more concepts that focus on the utilisation of…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/biomass-has-great-potential-if-used-properly
Press release - 31/05/2010 Geomicrobiologists from Tübingen discover how electricity flows in soil Geomicrobiologists from the Centre for Applied Geoscience at the University of Tübingen in cooperation with researchers from the University of Wisconsin USA the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing BAM and the Humboldt University in Berlin are the first in the world to show that microorganisms are able to use solid-phase organic soil particles so-called humic substances to replace oxygen when grown in the absence of oxygen. The…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/geomicrobiologists-from-tuebingen-discover-how-electricity-flows-in-soil
Press release - 30/05/2010 Loss-free plastics production from plant oil At present plastics are produced from crude oil or gas. The research group of Professor Dr. Stefan Mecking chair of chemical materials sciences at the University of Constance has found a way to produce plastics from plant oil a regenerative resource.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/loss-free-plastics-production-from-plant-oil
Press release - 24/05/2010 University of Stuttgart – biopolymers as construction material of the future? The Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart is investigating whether it is possible to replace traditional plastics in the building industry with natural fibre-reinforced biopolymers. As part of the project, which is being funded by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, the ITKE researchers are working with the Nimbus Group to develop transparent lightweight building boards from biopolymers with…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/university-of-stuttgart-biopolymers-as-construction-material-of-the-future
Article - 21/05/2010 A small moss turns professional No standards are available on the proper storage and documentation of sample material areas in which every research group does what suits it best. However in February 2010 the International Moss Stock Centre IMSC was established at the University of Freiburg and is rapidly changing this situation. Researchers led by Prof. Dr. Ralf Reski have developed a method that enables them to store biological material in a cryobank for an indefinite period…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/a-small-moss-turns-professional
Press release - 19/05/2010 Bionic Coating Helps Ships to Economise on Fuel An inconspicuous plant could soon embark on a career as a climate saver hairs on the surface of water ferns are to allow ships to have a 10 per cent decrease in fuel consumption. The plant has the rare ability to put on a gauzy skirt of air under water and keep this dress on for months. Researchers at the University of Bonn Rostock and Karlsruhe have now discovered how the fern does this. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/bionic-coating-helps-ships-to-economise-on-fuel
Press release - 17/05/2010 Bioliq® pilot plant at KIT close to completion The completion of the bioliq® pilot plant on the northern campus of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is now a certainty. Following the commitment by the German and Baden-Württemberg governments to provide 11 million euros in financing, the KIT has now also signed contracts with companies that will work with KIT in the implementation of the two final processing stages. These two stages involve the production of second-generation…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/bioliq-pilot-plant-at-kit-close-to-completion
Article - 10/05/2010 Europe’s largest bioethanol facility Mannheim-based CropEnergies AG operates Europes largest bioethanol facility located in the town of Zeitz. The company is also erecting a large-scale facility for liquefying purifying and recycling biogenic carbon dioxide at the same site. The new plant will have an annual capacity of 100000 t of food-grade liquefied CO2.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/europe-s-largest-bioethanol-facility
Article - 07/05/2010 Effective utilisation and processing of renewable resources Fermentation isolation separation and purification are key processes in the overall workflow that enable the prepartion of substances from renewable resources and biotechnological production. Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart are focusing on the development of new innovative methods.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/effective-utilisation-and-processing-of-renewable-resources
Press release - 07/05/2010 TECNARO wins European Inventor Award TECNARO GmbH located in Ilsfeld near Heilbronn is very happy about winning one of the most prestigious international awards the European Inventor Award. TECNARO was proposed by international patent examiners and nominated from among more than 1000 inventors and patent applicants.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/tecnaro-wins-european-inventor-award
Article - 03/05/2010 Energy produced from poplars and other plants – how efficiently can this be done? Renewable energies do not come out of nowhere. The sustainable cultivation of firewood requires land for plantation. The main criticism of the use of land for the production of renewable energies is that the production of renewable resources is in strong opposition to the production of human food. The forestry scientist Janine Fischbach and her colleagues at the University of Freiburg are investigating ways to avoid a plate petrol tank dilemma. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/energy-produced-from-poplars-and-other-plants-how-efficiently-can-this-be-done
Article - 03/05/2010 In order to innovate, we must come down from the ivory tower At talks given at the recent Biotechnology Days in Berlin representatives of a number of different BMBF-funded clusters showed that numerous strategies to enable the industrial production of biopolymers and biomaterials from resources other than oil are now available.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/in-order-to-innovate-we-must-come-down-from-the-ivory-tower
Dossier - 03/05/2010 Biorefinery concepts are close to implementation Coal crude oil whats next? The preparations for switching from crude oil to other resources for the production of fuels and petrochemical products are underway. Crude oil and also gas reserves are in irrevocable decline. Pessimists believe that peak oil production has already been reached and optimists believe that this peak will be reached in 2020. Crude oil is not only our most important source of energy production but it is also an important…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/dossiers/biorefinery-concepts-are-close-to-implementation
Article - 03/05/2010 Bioliq and the attraction of decentralised processes There is a steady stream of people both Germans and foreigners going in and out of Eckhard Dinjus laboratory at the Institute of Technical Chemistry at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT. The 66-year-old chemist developed the bioliq method that is set to become an export hit due to its decentralised-centralised approach. Many years before the pilot plant started operating people from near and far including China had expressed their…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/bioliq-and-the-attraction-of-decentralised-processes
Press release - 30/04/2010 MYKOTOWN to focus in future on renewable energies and sustainably produced fuels In the future the Swiss company MYKOTOWN GREENTECH AG will focus on sustainably produced fuels and regenerative energies. The company is thus continuing its journey towards the production of biological and ecological plants using mycorrhizal fungi as well as tapping new fields of business.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/mykotown-to-focus-in-future-on-renewable-energies-and-sustainably-produced-fuels
Press release - 28/04/2010 Antibiotics & Co: Insilico and partners to improve biotech production A veritable network specialist has become active in yet another network the GenBioCom joint project financed by BMBF Federal Ministry of Education and Research is profiting from Insilico Biotechnologys know-how on bacterial metabolism and genome-based metabolic simulations. The ultimate goal is to improve and expand the commercial use of Actinomyces bacteria as producers of bioproducts and active agents.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/antibiotics-co-insilico-and-partners-to-improve-biotech-production
Article - 15/04/2010 Molecular biomechanics or mechanobiochemistry Frauke Gräter is head of the Molecular Biomechanics research group at the Institute for Theoretical Studies in Heidelberg. Gräter uses computer-based methods to investigate the mechanical forces acting on biological macromolecules in the nanometre range. Her team was also able to show that highly complex processes such as haemostasis are regulated by shear forces.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/molecular-biomechanics-or-mechanobiochemistry
Article - 10/04/2010 “We need to tap alternative energy sources” Prof. Dr. Christoph Wittmann from the TU Braunschweig is a partner in the BiopolymersBiomaterials cluster. He is developing mathematical models of metabolic processes to optimise microorganisms for use in biotechnology. In an interview with Christoph Bächtle Wittmann talks about systems biology drawing-board organisms biobased plastics and biotechnologys capacity to complement existing large-scale methods. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/we-need-to-tap-alternative-energy-sources
Press release - 29/03/2010 TECNARO GmbH – Thermoplastics made of lignin TECNARO GmbH who was awarded the Industry Prize 2009 produces sustainable materials for the automotive and packaging industries and also for the manufacturers of furniture toys musical instruments and shoes.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/tecnaro-gmbh-thermoplastics-made-of-lignin
Press release - 25/03/2010 Pure biogas in three steps: University of Hohenheim develops new type of biogas plant Higher methane level, shorter process times, more flexible products: researchers from the University of Hohenheim are planning to establish a three-tier pilot plant over the next three years that is able to produce all this. In the long term, this will contribute to a reduction in the energy required to produce biogas relative to the energy currently required to produce natural gas and it will also enable biogas to be supplied via existing gas…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/pure-biogas-in-three-steps-university-of-hohenheim-develops-new-type-of-biogas-plant
Press release - 10/03/2010 Anbau der Stärkekartoffel Amflora genehmigt https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/anbau-der-staerkekartoffel-amflora-genehmigt
Press release - 09/03/2010 Insilico: co-designer of innovative cell factory for fine chemicals A new BMBF joint project to transfer systems biology research directly into practical applications is profiting from Insilico Biotechnology’s expertise. The goal is to make Pseudomonas bacterial strains fit for commercial use in the field of industrial biocatalysis. The project will run for three years, coordinated by BASF and financed with approx. EUR 5.5 million. Insilico Biotechnology is the second partner from industry, while all others are…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/insilico-co-designer-of-innovative-cell-factory-for-fine-chemicals
Press release - 01/03/2010 fischer group of companies – innovation in plastics technology The fischer group of companies is treading an innovative path in the field of plastics technology. The new biopolyamide plug has the same values as the tried and tested product made of conventional nylon and it also takes the technology a step further towards sustainable fixing systems. The close cooperation between the cluster partners is what makes such developments possible.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/fischer-group-of-companies-innovation-in-plastics-technology
Article - 04/02/2010 Fraunhofer IGB – from biobased materials to products The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB carries out applied research in the fields of medicine pharmacy chemistry environment and energy. The IGB looks for sustainable solutions using nature as model.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/fraunhofer-igb-from-biobased-materials-to-products