Bioeconomy

Article - 17/01/2011

nadicom GmbH novel strategies to prove microcrobes guilty

Microscopic life is omnipresent and it also appears in places where it is not wanted. The Karlsruhe-based nadicom Gesellschaft für angewandte Mikrobiologie mbH offers a broad range of services to companies and environmental authorities to help them deal with and control the omnipresence of microorganisms.

Article - 10/01/2011

Batteries powered by waste

What can we do with all the waste produced by private households? One possible solution is to feed it into a fridge-sized tank in the cellar or garage that can convert waste into electricity. Dr. Sven Kerzenmacher and Dr. Johannes Gescher from the University of Freiburg are hoping that one day such a vision will be made possible through the use of bacteria. The two researchers work with so-called exoelectrogenic microorganisms which they put into…

Article - 07/01/2011

Residual waste an eternal fire that generates electrical power

Chemical energy is stored in the material used for packaging carpets and so on. Some of this energy can be recycled from discarded products. Every year the Thermische Restabfallbehandlungs- und Energieerzeugungsanlage TREA Breisgau Thermal Residual Waste Treatment and Energy Generation Facility located in the Breisgau industrial estate close to Freiburg converts around 170000 t of residual waste into electricity. Dr. Holger Heinig COO of TREA…

Dossier - 07/01/2011

Energy generation from waste

We are all very aware of what happens when we dispose of waste whether it is industry waste private household waste or CO2. We also know that cost-effectiveness is still given priority over sustainability. As more and more waste is dumped it is increasingly entering the groundwater soil and atmosphere. The ideal solution would enable us to kill two birds with one stone if we could somehow combine the problems related to increasing environmental…

Article - 20/12/2010

Invisible danger with long-term consequences

According to official figures mycotoxins which are toxic secondary metabolites produced by moulds are found in around of 20 per cent of the European crop harvest. Even the smallest concentrations of mycotoxins can have devastating toxic effects causing cancer or posing a risk to fertility and development. Alexandra Heussner from the University of Konstanz is investigating ochratoxins whose chronic effect represents a huge danger to human health.

Article - 20/12/2010

ForCare assessing the risks and benefits of environmental chemicals

Over the last few years the EU has published a number of new guidelines stipulating thresholds for toxicologically relevant substances in food and other products. Some of these thresholds were implemented following a Greenpeace campaign relating to pesticides in food. The Freiburg-based Fachbüro für Toxikologie und nachhaltige Entwicklung Office for Toxicology and Sustainable Development ForCare played a part in the scientific studies behind this…

Article - 06/12/2010

Bioplastics materials that have the potential to be used in medical technology

At the recent International Symposium on Biopolymers ISBP in Stuttgart scientists discussed the use of biobased plastics for applications in the field of medical technology. The majority of strategies presented at the symposium will only be ready for market in a few years time. However they give an idea as to why bioplastics are likely to be applied to a greater extent in the field of medical technology.

Article - 06/12/2010

Foam from bacteria

All washing agents and household detergents contain surface-active agents that bind and dissolve dirt. Up until now these agents have been produced from organic compounds extracted from mineral oil. Due to the ongoing debate on sustainability more and more manufacturers are focusing on biological alternatives. The research group led by Dr. Rudolf Hausmann at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT is investigating the conditions under which…