Bioeconomy

Article - 30/11/2009

Cells to analyse air

Exhaust gases smoke generated by industry and private household combustion processes every day we inhale a mixture of a broad range of particulate matter potentially resulting in respiratory tract or cardiovascular diseases. Dr. Silvia Diabat and her team from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT are examining the molecular mechanisms triggered by flue ash and other nanoparticles in the cells of the lung tissue.

Article - 30/11/2009

well ausstellungssystem GmbH – promoting the use of sustainable wooden materials

Hanover-based well Ausstellungssystem GmbH sells environmentally-friendly wooden materials for furniture and booth construction, interior and product design and promotes its new wooden sheeting kraftplex® for use in high-tech innovations. Wellboard, the wooden composite in waves, is already being used in theatres, shop windows and museums.

Dossier - 24/11/2009

Environmental medicine and biosensor technology

Smog, chemicals in rivers, particular matter from copying machines in offices – human beings are exposed to many toxic influences. Environmental medical specialists are investigating the effect that these kinds of substances have at the same time as trying to find ways to reduce their influence on human health as much as possible. Molecular and cell biologists and even biotechnologists all have a key part to play in these efforts. On the one…

Press release - 18/11/2009

Further expansion of the KIT’s bioliq® pilot plant

The bioliq® process developed at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) enables the production of fully synthetic diesel and petrol from straw and other residues that accumulate in agriculture and forestry. Following the first and second expansion stages, the KIT is now able to move on to the next two stages, involving gas purification and fuel synthesis at the pilot plant. The German and Baden-Württemberg governments are providing a total…

Press release - 13/11/2009

Second-generation biofuels

The Distillery for Research and Training at the University of Hohenheim has been reopened after the completion of renovation work costing around 1.2 million euros. The distillery is now equipped with a computer-operated process-control system and modern sensors, all state-of-the-art technology for the fermentation processes at Hohenheim. The new distillery pilot plant has a fermentation room for work with genetically modified organisms.…

Press release - 10/11/2009

Genes and proteins can’t explain everything

Andreas Wachter has been the head of the Emmy Noether research group at the Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP) at the University of Tübingen since 2009. Of particular interest to Wachter are the molecular regulation mechanisms in key biological processes. He is the first person to transfer the latest insights from bacteria research to plant cells and stresses the importance of ribonucleic acid (RNA) in these vital processes.

Article - 09/11/2009

Keeping an eye on reed decline

The reed zones around Europes lakes are becoming increasingly smaller. The biologist Dr. Jan Nechwatal at the University of Constance is investigating the causes of reed decline and has identified a previously unknown plant pest.

Article - 28/10/2009

Worn down and financially exhausted, but more popular than ever

When academic toxicologists in a German state join forces, it is virtually headline news. This is because the discipline is on the red list. Only in Baden-Württemberg does the number of toxicologists at university institutes justify the joining of forces. The ironic thing about this is that the competence of the rare species ”toxicologicus” is in greater demand than ever.

Dossier - 27/10/2009

Fungi – an introduction

After animals and plants fungi are the third largest kingdom of eukaryotic organisms. Most people see them as plants because they typically grow in soil and do not move around like animals in the search for food supermarkets sell edible mushrooms such as white mushrooms and shiitake. But no fungi are capable of carrying out photosynthesis themselves the fungal energy metabolism is driven by organic molecules of dead and sometimes also living…

Article - 27/10/2009

Green genetic engineering now conquers the ornamental plant market as well

A blue carnation developed in Australia was the first genetically modified ornamental plant sold around the world. The Stuttgart-based company Ornamental Bioscience GmbH now plans to use the same approach with far more practical goals in mind: water-saving summer flowers and tropical plants that are resistant to the cold, both of which have many concrete advantages and not just for consumers.

Article - 23/10/2009

Agrano – organic yeast for the industry

Riegel-based Agrano GmbH & Co. has been producing Bioreal Organic Yeast since 1996. The company is a subsidiary of Hanover-based Martin Braun KG, which is a member of the Oetker Group. The company’s product is used by bakers in the production of organically flawless bread as well as makers of 100% organic soups and spreads.

Article - 22/10/2009

On the track of fascinating diatoms

Diatoms make a considerable contribution to the production of oxygen and biomass in the worlds oceans and aquatic ecosystems. However up until now little is known about the molecular biology and chemistry of these eukaryotic algae. Prof. Peter Kroth and his team at the University of Constance are hoping to shed more light on these algae. The team has recently been involved in the deciphering of the Phaeodactylum tricornutum genome research that…

The International Environmental Award was awarded to Professor Klaus Kümmerer from the Institute of Environmental Medicine and Hospital Epidemiology at the University of Freiburg in Stockholm on Sunday 18th October 2009.

Article - 12/10/2009

Brückner – Global market leader in film stretching technology

Brückner Maschinenbau has been doing pioneering work in film stretching technology for around 50 years. With a market share of over 50%, Brückner is the worldwide leader in this area. About 600 Brückner lines are used all over the world. All the major international film producers in Europe, USA, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia appear in the company’s customer list.

Dossier - 12/10/2009

A green view - plant genome research

Research into the plant genome reveals many fundamental mechanisms some of which are also found in animals and human beings. Research increases the possibility of application in particular for the improvement of food animal feed and energy plants. However there is more to it than just transgenic plants.

Article - 28/09/2009

BioLog – bioplastics made from crayfish

BioLog GmbH, based in Landsberg, is developing bioplastics from chitin, a natural biopolymer extracted from the exoskeleton of crustaceans such as shrimps and crabs. Chitin is modified to chitosan, which can be used for many applications, including for wastewater treatment and as animal feed.

Article - 24/09/2009

Making sense of a huge conglomeration of base pairs

Prof. Dr. Ralf Reski and his team at the University of Freiburg have made considerable contributions to the analysis of the genome of the moss Physcomitrella patens. However the researchers are aware that the base pair sequence still has many gaps and errors. But how do the researchers manage to navigate around the chaos of millions of letters base pairs and sentence fragments DNA fragments?

Article - 24/09/2009

Bacteria to produce bioplastics

Polyhydroxyalkanoates are storage substances produced and stored by many cells plants and bacteria only in times when they lack lack important nutrients. A particular property of these plastics-related biopolymers is that their composition and hence their material properties can be regulated by the fermentation process.

The success of plant breeders is no longer to be left to chance. Scientists at the University of Hohenheim are working hard on the development of tools for predictable plant breeding. Using genome analyses, the researchers hope to discover sought-after genes in order to enable plant breeders to select the plant properties they require in a time- and cost-saving way.

The high-yield cultivation of maize has for a long time since been unthinkable without hybrid plant breeding. The phenomenon used by plant breeders to achieve high crop yields nevertheless harbours many secrets. Science is using the methods of modern genome research to solve the mystery of heterosis in order to speed up hybrid plant breeding and establish heterosis in many other agriculturally important crop species.

Dossier - 18/09/2009

From plants to plastics

In these times of changing climate sustainable thinking and the growing desire to become less dependent on crude oil the interest in biobased plastics is growing. Biobased plastics can be either entirely or partially produced from renewable resources using biotechnological methods.

Article - 18/09/2009

Patents promote creativity and motivation

The protection of innovations and patents is an important issue for Stockach- based Sensovation AG in terms of the companys proprietary developments. According to Paul Hing Chief Technology Officer of the company which develops and manufactures intelligent detection systems Sensovation has already filed three patents and further ideas for potential patents are currently being evaluated. But how does a medium-sized medical device company such as…

Press release - 18/09/2009

How a water plant can save its “skin”

Biologist Dr. Elisabeth Groß is investigating the complicated defence mechanisms of a water plant water milfoil. The plant uses these defence mechanisms to save its skin from herbivore attacks and to make life difficult for competing algae.

Article - 10/09/2009

Chaperone research using baker’s yeast and bacteria

Protein misfolding and aggregation can lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers. Prof. Elke Deuerling at the University of Constance is investigating the molecular helpers the chaperones and the key role that they have in protein folding. Deuerling uses the bakers yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the bacterium Eschericia coli for her studies. Her studies involving E. coli have now shown that ribosome-associated chaperones are…

Press release - 09/09/2009

“Road trip” to the Lake Constance

American scientists from the J. Craig Venter Institute JCVI have recently visited the Institute of Limnology at the University of Constance at Lake Constance. The visit was part of the Sorcerer II Expedition which is a unique global mission to sample and discover the diversity of microorganisms and their role in global substance flows.