Plastics from the field - 12/08/2021 Great potential for biological residues Huge amounts of waste are produced both during food production and by consumers. The Conversion Technologies of Biobased Resources group at the University of Hohenheim’s Institute of Agricultural Engineering has developed a process to convert this biomass into hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), the highly potent basic chemical that is used to produce plastics.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/great-potential-biological-residues
ROKO Farming - 03/08/2021 Thinking upwards: vertical farming to be further developed into continuous production ROKO Farming’s novel technology is designed to produce fruit and vegetables worldwide all year round, while also freeing up areas for rewilding. This semi-automatic production method created by the Ulm-based business has huge future potential, as their success in innovation competitions demonstrates.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/thinking-upwards-vertical-farming-be-further-developed-continuous-production
Press release - 02/08/2021 CO2 as a raw material for plastics and other products Carbon dioxide is one of the main drivers of climate change – which means that we need to reduce CO2 emissions in the future. Fraunhofer researchers are highlighting a possible way to lower these emissions: They use the greenhouse gas as a raw material, for instance to produce plastics. To do this, they first produce methanol and formic acid from CO2, which they convert via microorganisms into building blocks for polymers and the like.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/co2-raw-material-plastics-and-other-products
Press release - 27/07/2021 Furniture from the biogas plant The Hallertau is Germany's largest hop-growing region. During harvesting, hop bine chaff is left over, which is converted into environmentally friendly bio natural gas on site in a biogas plant. But that is not the end of the utilization chain for this fiber plant. Researchers at the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) have used the plant-containing biogas digestate to produce a composite material that can be…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/furniture-biogas-plant
Alpha-Protein GmbH - 27/07/2021 Insect farming for sustainability Mealworms instead of fish meal and soybean meal - this is what the sustainable future of feed production looks like as Alpha-Protein GmbH see it. The company has built a highly efficient automated production plant in which residual materials from local food production are used to breed mealworms.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/insect-farming-sustainability
Press release - 16/07/2021 Robotically wound natural fibre construction The "livMatS Pavilion" in the Botanical Garden of the University of Freiburg is a model for a bioinspired sustainable construction. In a joint project, researchers from the Universities of Freiburg and Stuttgart together with master’s students from the University of Stuttgart have designed a lightweight pavilion. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/robotically-wound-natural-fibre-construction
Press release - 09/07/2021 Refuels Are Suited for Wide Use Refuels are renewable fuels that can be produced in different ways. When they are mixed and processed such that they meet the existing fuel standards, they are suited for all types of combustion engines. This is the result of the latest vehicle and fleet tests within the project “reFuels – Rethinking Fuels” at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Compared to fully fossil fuels, refuel mixes allow for a CO2 reduction by 25% at least. Moreover,…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/refuels-are-suited-wide-use
Press release - 07/07/2021 Treasure Hunt in Sewage Sludge The European Union is largely dependent on imports of white phosphorus (P4), a strategic raw material for the food and pharmaceutical industries. To tackle this challenge, the newly started four-year EU-funded project FlashPhos – led by the University of Stuttgart – will recover at a large scale high-quality white phosphorus and other raw materials using sewage sludge as input material. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/schatzsuche-im-klaerschlamm
Funding Horizon Europe Funding programme, Funded by: European Union, Submission deadline: 31/12/2027 https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/databases/funding/horizone-europe
Start-up kernique catch the zeitgeist - 29/06/2021 Nut snack as a sustainable ecological concept A delicious vegan nut snack that uses no sugar, artificial additives, gluten or palm oil, is full of essential nutrients, and is part of a commitment to environmental and social sustainability. Impossible? An Esslingen-based start-up called kernique proves otherwise. The start-up is currently planning a crowdfunding phase that offers a lucrative deal for investors. The idea catches the zeitgeist, but what exactly makes it stand out?https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/nut-snack-sustainable-ecological-concept
Showcase Bioeconomy - 22/06/2021 Advanced biofuel breakthrough: HyFlexFuel converted sewage sludge and other biomasses into kerosene by hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) The EU funded research project HyFlexFuel recently succeeded to produce biocrudes via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) from a variety of biomasses, including sewage sludge, food waste, manure, wheat straw, corn stover, pine sawdust, miscanthus and microalgae in a pilot-scale continuous HTL plant at Aarhus University (Denmark).https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/advanced-biofuel-breakthrough-hyflexfuel-converted-sewage-sludge-and-other-biomasses-kerosene-hydrothermal-liquefaction-htl
Press release - 16/06/2021 Fast and efficient nature-inspired joints power robotic systems It is not the first time that spiders have served as biological models in the research field of soft robotics. The hydraulic actuation mechanisms they apply to move their limbs when weaving their web or hunting for prey give them powers many roboticists and engineers have drawn inspiration from.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/von-spinnen-inspirierte-schnelle-und-effiziente-gelenke-steuern-eine-vielzahl-robotern
Press release - 15/06/2021 Bioeconomy: Taking Microbes out of Dark and into the Light Microorganisms are the oldest, most abundant, and most diverse life forms on earth and offer enormous potential for biotechnological applications. To date, however, only a fraction of them could be isolated and cultivated. The “MicroMATRIX” research project, funded with € 1.5 million by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and led by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), aims to shed more light on the microbial darkness.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/biooekonomie-von-der-wg-ins-mikroben-eigenheim
Press release - 07/06/2021 For which plastic products is biodegradation a viable end-of-life option? The final report including comprehensive fact sheets of 25 applications is now available online in German and English.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/which-plastic-products-biodegradation-viable-end-life-option
Final chord of the EU-project Smart SMEs - 31/05/2021 Building a sustainable network for natural fibre-based SMEs in the Alpine Space The European project Smart SMEs came successfully to its end in May 2021 with the final conference, which attracted participants from different parts of Europe. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/building-sustainable-network-natural-fibre-based-smes-alpine-space
Zero Bullshit Company - 31/05/2021 From being thrown away to becoming a recycled product - Stuttgart start-up produces healthy snacks Throwing away food? The Stuttgart-based start-up Zero Bullshit Company is declaring war on food wastage by making nutrient-rich products largely from food industry leftovers. The three food technologists who created this transparent brand are looking to develop more than just delicious and nutritious products.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/being-thrown-away-becoming-recycled-product-stuttgart-start-produces-healthy-snacks
Press release - 27/05/2021 Coffee´s pulp waste becomes organic compost The pulp of coffee beans is considered a waste product on coffee plantations, which is usually thrown away or dumped into rivers - with significant negative consequences for climate change and the environment. Macarena San Martín-Ruiz from the University of Stuttgart is working with Coopetarrazú, the largest coffee cooperative in Costa Rica, to find out how the mixture of pulp and husks can be turned into organic compost and thus protect the…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/coffee-s-pulp-waste-becomes-organic-compost
Press release - 18/05/2021 BBI JU to invest €104.5 million into circular bio-based projects The Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) has signed the grant agreements with 18 new projects, selected for funding under the 2020 Call for proposals. 199 beneficiaries from 26 countries across the EU and beyond will receive BBI JU’s financial support worth €104.5 million. This is the seventh and last BBI JU call which will bring the total investment of the initiative to €821.6 million and the BBI JU’s portfolio to 142 projects. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/bbi-ju-invest-eur1045-million-circular-bio-based-projects
Press release - 03/05/2021 Bioactive paper coatings to replace plastic for packaging foods The amount of plastic waste increases every year. Some of this waste is due to plastic packaging used to protect food. As part of the “BioActiveMaterials” project, researchers at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft have developed an eco-friendly coating for paper packaging. With this, not only is plastic saved, but the coating of plant-based proteins and waxes also extends the shelf life of the food.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/bioactive-paper-coatings-replace-plastic-packaging-foods
Press release - 30/04/2021 More veg, less dairy Freiburg researchers have studied how changing their diet could influence the ecological footprint of Germans.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/more-veg-less-dairy
Press release - 23/04/2021 The Amazing Field of Science: Bioeconomy to End the Ecological Crisis Population growth and the increasing standard of living make our society face big ecological challenges: Climate change, littering of the seas, dwindling agricultural areas, resource scarcity. Bioeconomy aims at replacing fossil by regenerative resources and at using advanced and sustainable technologies based on biological knowledge and principles.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/amazing-field-science-bioeconomy-end-ecological-crisis
Press release - 23/04/2021 For which plastic products is biodegradation a viable endof- life option? The BioSinn project found products and applications for which biodegradation at the end-of-life is a real option. 25 fact sheets answer technical and regulatory questions for each application. The market volume of these applications was also estimated: in Germany it is about 170,000 tonnes, in the European Union about 1 million tonnes per year!https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/bei-welchen-kunststoffprodukten-ist-der-biologische-abbau-eine-sinnvolle-end-life-option
Press release - 21/04/2021 A study identifies the top 50 life and biological sciences and technologies driving innovation in the bio-based sectors in Europe. The study “Life and Biological Sciences and Technologies as Engines for Bio-based Innovation”, funded by the European Commission, DG Research and Innovation has been published and is now available for download from the website of the Publications Office of the European Union.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/study-identifies-top-50-life-and-biological-sciences-and-technologies-driving-innovation-bio-based-sectors-europe
Press release - 20/04/2021 Cellulose fibers against climate change Protecting the global climate is an undertaking that presents both industry and society with a major task. It will not be possible to achieve the climate targets simply by limiting global emissions, by saving carbon dioxide (CO2). This is because there will continue to be unavoidable CO2 emissions that will nevertheless have to be compensated. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/cellulosefasern-gegen-den-klimawandel
Alternative source of protein - 07/04/2021 Smart insect farms as sustainable protein sources of the future It is estimated that by 2050, if not before, the world's population will have grown so much that it will be difficult to provide adequate supplies of food for everyone. It is therefore high time to look for alternatives. One option could be insects as an environmentally friendly source of protein for humans and animals. The start-up company Cepri is developing smart insect farms with the goal to make primary production, which is not yet…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/smart-insect-farms-sustainable-protein-sources-future