Biosensors - 09/04/2020 Sensors for the bioeconomy Sensor networks are one of the keys to achieving digitalisation of the bioeconomy. Sensor networks are on the way to becoming important analysis and control instruments for energy-efficient and sustainable material cycles. Dieter Hertweck, Professor of Business Information Systems at Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences, shows what is already possible in digital agriculture and waste recycling and what is feasible for the future.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/Sensors-for-the-bioeconomy
Press release - 19/03/2020 New Circular Economy Action Plan: no circular economy without bioeconomy "European Bioplastics (EUBP) welcomes the new Circular Economy Action Plan (nCEAP). It’s an ambitious step forward to transform Europe into a circular economy”, says François de Bie, Chairman of European Bioplastics. “As EUBP, we especially endorse the European Commission’s (EC) commitment to support the ‘sustainable and circular bio-based sector through the implementation of the Bioeconomy Action Plan’”https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/neuer-aktionsplan-fuer-die-kreislaufwirtschaft-keine-kreislaufwirtschaft-ohne-biooekonomie
The “Rhizo-Lentil" EIP-AGRI project - 03/03/2020 University of Hohenheim wants to improve the conditions for lentil cultivation Lentils were once considered poor man’s food, but in Germany demand for them has never been greater. And to satisfy this growing demand, more lentils need to be cultivated. This is why the University of Hohenheim is involved in the EIP-AGRI "Rhizo-Linse" project. The aim of the project is to find rhizobia strains that go well with lentil plants to increase yield and improve quality.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/University-of-Hohenheim-wants-to-improve-the-conditions-for-lentil-cultivation
Wood energy – heating with wood – interview with Stefan Pelz, HFR - 10/02/2020 Wood: a cornerstone in energy transition While a good third of the electricity in Germany now comes from renewable energy sources, the production and supply of heat from renewables has stagnated at around 11.5 percent. Energy from biomass, mainly wood and biogas, accounts for over 80 percent of the renewable energy produced. Bioenergy municipalities show how locally available, renewable raw materials and solar power can be intelligently combined for supplying energy.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/Wood-a-cornerstone-in-energy-transition
New perspectives for bioenergy - 10/02/2020 Biogas as a component of the energy transition Dr. Andreas Lemmer has been involved in the generation of energy from biomass for over 20 years. His employer, the State Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioenergy, runs the biogas pilot facility at Unterer Lindenhof near Reutlingen. Scientists here work under practical conditions testing new techniques.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/Biogas-as-a-component-of-the-energy-transition
Biogas and wood as components of the energy transition - 10/02/2020 New perspectives for bioenergy Decentralised, controllable and stable - renewable energy is an important component in the transition to a bioeconomy without fossil fuels. BIOPRO spoke to PD Dr. Andreas Lemmer from the State Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Bioenergy at the University of Hohenheim and Prof. Dr. Stefan Pelz, scientific director of the Institute for Applied Research and professorat the University of Applied Forest Sciences Rottenburg.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/New-perspectives-for-bioenergy
The "Protein Initiative” and the “Rhizo-Lentil" EIP-AGRI project - 31/01/2020 LTZ Augustenberg promotes regional protein production In future, more lentils, soybeans, peas, field beans and lupins will be grown again in Baden-Württemberg farms. This is what Dr. Carola Blessing from the Agricultural Technology Center (LTZ) Augustenberg is working on. It therefore became clear very quickly that the LTZ Augustenberg needed to get involved in the "Rhizo-Linse" project that aims to further develop lentil cultivation.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/LTZ-Augustenberg-promotes-regional-protein-production
Polysecure GmbH - 16/01/2020 Recycling of the future – marked plastic as a circular product Plastics are harmful to the climate and human health both during manufacture and combustion and they also clutter our planet with garbage. Recycling is therefore a key issue, but it is not efficient. Polysecure has developed a process for permanently marking individual plastics that enables them to be separated efficiently and returned to a circular economy. This would counteract the vast amount of (micro) plastics and reduce CO₂ emissions.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/recycling-of-the-future-marked-plastic-as-a-circular-product
Producing valuable new products from waste materials - 07/01/2020 A vision: insect biorefineries as components of a sustainable bioeconomy Eco-friendly and responsibly manufactured products are more in demand than ever before. Specific research is being carried out into materials and applications for a wide variety of uses. The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB is working with Hermetia Baruth GmbH on the vision of an insect biofactory that uses waste materials to produce a wide range of products such as biosurfactants, animal feed or foils. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/A-vision-insect-biorefineries-as-components-of-a-sustainable-bioeconomy
EIP-AGRI project coordination - 12/12/2019 nadicom: “Rhizo-Linse” project – excellent small fertiliser factories Lentil plants, rarely cultivated in Central Europe in the twentieth century, are making a comeback. The "Rhizo-Linse"1 EIP-AGRI project aims to reintroduce old lentil varieties and make them appealing to farmers. A company called nadicom Gesellschaft für angewandte Mikrobiologie mbH is working on the development of an ecological product consisting of nodule bacteria that can improve lentil plant growth.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/nadicom-Rhizo-Linse-project-excellent-small-fertiliser-factories
Biosensors - 03/12/2019 Learning from honey bees Biosensors are used in medical diagnostics and food and environmental analyses, to name just a few examples. apic.ai, a start-up based in Karlsruhe, uses honey bees as bioindicators to gain insights into the state of the ecosystem. The company also uses artificial intelligence (AI) methods for their ecotoxicological investigations.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/learning-from-the-bees
CRISPR/Cas9 and genetic engineering laws - 27/11/2019 Transgene-free plant breeding using genome editing Plant geneticists from Tübingen have used genome deletion to breed a variety of tomato that is resistant to powdery mildew. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology that they used enabled them to achieve this in a relatively short period of time. They also demonstrated beyond any doubt that the new tomato variety contains no foreign DNA and is indistinguishable from naturally occurring deletion mutants.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/transgene-free-plant-breeding-using-genome-editing
Dossier - 15/11/2019 Microplastics waste is a valuable resource, it is just in the wrong place The negative image of plastic persists and is not getting any better in the face of the ongoing debate about microplastics which are basically everywhere. Plastic pollutes the environment. The globe is littered with huge quantities. We have to modify the production and utilisation of macroplastics as well as fundamentally rethink the way we dispose of them. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ mentality must become a thing of the past.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/dossiers/waste-valuable-resource-wrong-place
Article - 30/10/2019 Fuel from CO2 – compact decentralised facilities enable emission-free mobility Can greenhouse gases like CO2 and methane be used to fuel cars? What sounds like wishful thinking is in fact already reality at INERATEC. The company’s compact mobile systems equipped with a unique chemical reactor technology are attracting worldwide interest. The systems enable CO2-free mobility for road traffic, aviation and shipping. Is this development close to successful market entry?https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/Fuel-from-CO2-compact-decentralised-facilities-enable-emission-free-mobility
Article - 21/10/2019 Plant pots made of natural fibres – "bio", no ifs or buts Plastic plant pots are not good for the environment; strictly speaking, they should not even be disposed of in recycling bins. Alternatives such as coconut fibre pots are compostable, but not pollutant-free and not "bio" at all. The Karlsruhe-based company Fiber Engineering has developed a truly ecofriendly way to grow plants: pots made of hemp or grass, which are preserved with biological components and decompose completely within a…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/pflanztoepfe-aus-naturfasern-bio-ohne-wenn-und-aber
Article - 19/09/2019 Magnetised algae as microrobots for medical and environmental purposes Algae, for most of us, is something that lives in water courses that we occasionally find unpleasant. However, that is to do them a wrong. These extremely versatile and frugal organisms might in future prove to be extremely important. Scientists at the University of Stuttgart are investigating how algae can be used as microrobots in biomedicine and environmental remediation.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/magnetisierte-algen-als-mikroroboter-fuer-medizin-und-umwelt
Two-part interview part 2 | Prof. Dr. Ortwin Renn on the green genetic engineering debate - 26/08/2019 "Green genetic engineering is a scapegoat, but no longer an innocent one" Many scientists are expecting revolutionary advances in research to come from new molecular biology tools such as the CRISPR/Cas gene scissors. These methods are very important for agriculture, especially plant breeding and nutrition. However, the debate on green genetic engineering 2.0 looks like it may once again be heading for ideological battles. We talked with Prof. Dr. Ortwin Renn and asked him about opportunities for better communication.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/renn-green-genetic-engineering
Press release - 19/08/2019 Catalysts for climate protection How can we achieve the internationally agreed climate targets? The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB makes the greenhouse gas CO2 usable as a carbon source for the chemical industry. With a patented catalyst synthesis, screening for the optimal catalyst in high throughput and combined (electro)chemical-biotechnological processes, various concepts are available to CO2 emitting industries.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/katalysatoren-fuers-klima
Two-part interview part 1 | Prof. Dr. Regina Birner on the green genetic engineering debate - 12/08/2019 Agricultural economist Birner calls for other forms of dialogue besides organized interest groups Green genetic engineering continues to divide opinion in Germany in the same way as CRISPR/Cas and other genome editing (GE) techniques. What are the consequences for the bioeconomy, which involves key areas of biotechnology? We talked with Prof. Dr. Regina Birner, agricultural economist and head of Hohenheim University’s Department of Social and Institutional Change in Agricultural Development at the Institute of Agricultural and Social…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/agricultural-economist-birner-calls-for-other-forms-of-dialogue-besides-organized-interest-groups
Article - 01/08/2019 Clean water thanks to microplastics He swam the entire length of the River Rhine to draw attention to the contamination of rivers and oceans with plastic waste. After completing his mammoth swim, Prof. Dr. Andreas Fath decided to kill two birds with one stone and do something useful with microplastics. At the Furtwangen University of Applied Sciences campus in Villingen-Schwenningen, Fath is working on a filter system made of plastic waste that can be used to remove pollutants from…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/Clean-water-thanks-to-microplastics
Article - 10/07/2019 More than just a nut – new products for the bioeconomy Plants are often used for one particular purpose only. However, walnut trees have much more to offer than just delicious nuts. The AlpBioEco project is studying the potential of walnut trees for the bioeconomy and how the potential can be exploited commercially. The international team of researchers is also focusing on apples and herbs.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/mehr-als-eine-harte-nuss-neue-produkte-fur-die-biookonomie
Article - 04/07/2019 Sustainable energy storage using egg shells Germans consumed 235 chicken eggs per head. While egg white and egg yolks are processed into cakes, pasta or scrambled eggs, the shell predominantly ends up as organic waste. This despite the fact that eggshells are complex composites of lime and protein fibres. “It has repeatedly been shown over recent years that natural products are excellently suited for energy storage,” explains Professor Maximilian Fichtner from the Helmholtz Institute Ulm,…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/nachhaltige-energiespeicher-aus-eierschalen
Article - 27/05/2019 Providing growledge – resources and products for the bioeconomy Miscanthus and hemp are biomass plants that can be used as raw materials for a wide range of products and can be grown on land areas that are currently underutilised. A European consortium led by the University of Hohenheim in Baden-Württemberg has started a five-year project to demonstrate the economic potential of these plants.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/providing-growledge-resources-and-products-for-the-bioeconomy
Press release - 15/05/2019 Farmers and end users now benefit from a new database of industrial crops growing on marginal land! The European Union's Horizon 2020 project MAGIC has reached a milestone by uploading a beta version of its Decision Support System for farmers and end users, showing marginal land and an overview of industrial crops suitable to be grown on this land.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/farmers-and-end-users-now-benefit-from-a-new-database-of-industrial-crops-growing-on-marginal-land