Bioeconomy

Article - 23/07/2012

Inhospitable niches are a rich source of extremozymes

At first sight nothing much seems to grow in either the Namib desert or the Antarctic. However a closer inspection of the ground a few centimetres below the surface reveals an enormous diversity of organisms. Industry is well aware of this rich source of microorganisms that have something to offer on the molecular level as well as for use in technical applications. So-called extremozymes have long been popular ingredients in cosmetics detergents…

Article - 26/08/2013

International procedures for the detection and identification of GM seeds

In Europe the GM contamination threshold must not exceed 0.1. The Agricultural Technology Centre Augustenberg LTZ in Karlsruhe is accredited by the International Seed Testing Association ISTA to carry out international cooperative studies on GM seed analyses in cooperation with ISTA.

Researchers from the University of Freiburg have just shown that plant embryo decide already at the two-cell stage which cells will later become the shoot and which the roots. Experiments suggest this might be affected by the distribution of auxin.

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…

Article - 11/11/2013

Little support for beetle legs thanks to cuticular folds

Dr. Bettina Prüm Dr. Holger Bohn and Prof. Dr. Thomas Speck from the Botanic Garden of the University of Freiburg have discovered the mechanisms that prevent beetles from sticking to specifically structured leaf surfaces. In cooperation with the Freiburg Centre for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies FIT the researchers are now planning to apply natures smart strategy to the design of structures that help prevent insect pests from…

Article - 06/08/2012

Pressure aeration speeds up decomposition

The leakage of organic pollutants and heavy metals along with the emission of methane gas can continue to have a harmful effect on humans and the environment as long as 100 years after a landfill site has been closed down. This is why landfill leachates and gases need to be collected and treated for many years to come. The Institute for Sanitary Engineering Water Quality and Solid Waste Management ISWA at the University of Stuttgart is carrying…

The deadline for submitting applications is the 14th March 2008.

Article - 09/06/2008

Moderate growth

In 2007 the German biotechnology sector was marked by moderate growth. Turnover climbed over two billion euros and research and development expenditure reached one billion euros. These are the central findings of the latest company survey carried out by biotechnologie.de.

Article - 28/10/2013

University of Hohenheim a strong commitment to the bioeconomy

The bioeconomy is not only a major social challenge. It is also a complex thematic area that covers many scientific fields. The University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart has just published a strategy paper with the bioeconomy as a core topic of its research activities. Heike Laue talked with the universitys rector Prof. Dr. Stephan Dabbert about the paper.

Proposals for projects involving German and Argentinean partners can be submitted up until the 30th May 2008.

Article - 03/02/2014

Recovering phosphorus from compost manure and other waste residues

Phosphorus is essential for life on Earth all organisms need the element for growth. The principal application of phosphorus is in fertilisers. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB are currently developing a method to recover organic phosphorus from fermentation residues and agricultural residues such as manure. The IGB researchers hope to recover up to 90 percent of the organically bound…

Article - 04/07/2011

Stefan Rensing investigates the evolutionary transition from algae to land plants

The biologist Prof. Dr. Stefan Rensing from the University of Freiburg has been involved in introducing the use of computers to the life sciences from the very beginning. His analyses of the moss genomes now help to close an important gap in evolutionary research how did algae become land plants?

Article - 01/02/2010

Succinic acid producing a green platform chemical with biotech

Fermentative Production of Succinic Acid is the title of one of the projects being worked on by the BiopolymersBiomaterials cluster in Baden-Württemberg. Researchers from BASF SE one of the project partners have isolated a bacterium with highly promising properties including the ability to use glycerine a waste product of biodiesel production as substrate for the efficient production of succinic acid.

Article - 04/08/2014

Top-class plant research in Tübingen

The German Max Planck Institutes are world leaders in the area of plant research. Prof. Dr. Detlef Weigel Director of the Department of Molecular Biology at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen makes a major contribution to this success. Using Arabidopsis thaliana as model system Weigel studies the molecular mechanisms that enable plants to adapt to environmental conditions and those that underlie plant immunity. He has…

Article - 15/06/2015

Marja Timmermans: Humboldt Professor with a penchant for small RNAs

Molecular biologist Marja Timmermans has found out how plant cells can communicate with each other using mobile ribonucleic acid molecules. The use of small RNAs (sRNA) is a fundamental principle that applies not only to plant cells, but also to animal and human cells. These days, Timmermans' laboratory methods are used around the world. She has recently been awarded Germany’s most highly endowed international research award - the Alexander…

Article - 25/01/2016

How the application of chemicals in response to oil spills can be improved

When an oil spill occurs, chemical dispersants are routinely applied to the surface of the oil-contaminated seawater or into deeper water regions. Dr. Sara Kleindienst, a molecular ecologist from the Centre for Applied Geoscience at the University of Tübingen, has now shown that chemical dispersants do not stimulate oil biodegradation. In cooperation with an international team of researchers, Kleindienst simulated the Deepwater Horizon oil well…

Bioplastics - 03/05/2018

LIGNOSIT - using lignin in value-added products

The environmental footprint of petroleum-based plastic products does not look good. Alternatives for plastic production involving renewable raw materials are now being sought. Wood is experiencing a renaissance. Prof. Dr. Marie-Pierre Laborie, who holds the Chair of Forest Biomaterials at the University of Freiburg, and her team are researching the potential use of lignin, the natural glue in wood.

Press release - 07/04/2008

Bacteria for the production of better plastics

Nylon made by bacteria high-tech plastics from the bioreactor the BiopolymersBiomaterials cluster has plans to combine biotechnology with polymer technology and hence boost innovation in traditional industries such as the chemical and automobile industries.

Company profile - 15/08/2018

Goldmine “biomass” – carbonauts convert biomass into high-value platform products

Biomass can be carbonised and converted into certified carbon using a technology called “carbotwin”, which enables simultaneous production of energy. The carbon is thus stored in the end products and does not enter the atmosphere as CO2. Carbonauten, a start-up company from the Baden-Württemberg town of Giengen, shows that the process is not only environmentally friendly, but also economically viable.

Article - 29/10/2018

The International Biogas and Bioenergy Competence Centre (IBBK) and its role in Baden-Württemberg’s bioeconomy

The number of biogas plants in Germany has increased almost tenfold since the start of the new millennium1. IBBK Fachgruppe Biogas GmbH, founded in 2000, has helped shape this development through training, consulting services and projects. Since 2015, the company has also been working on behalf of the Baden-Württemberg government to advise operators of existing and planned biogas facilities.

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.

An outline of ideas or a proposal must be sent up until 14th May 2008.

Article - 23/10/2018

SteamBio – biomass residuals from rural areas as flexible raw materials for producing chemicals and energy

Biomass is the main resource of the bioeconomy. However, biomass has a low energy density and also needs to be used decentrally where it grows. A project group involving researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart and other institutions in Europe is addressing these challenges and demonstrating how biomass from rural areas can be made suitable for industrial processes.

Press release - 20/12/2011

Biotech as a driving force for environmental technology renewable energy and sustainability

As a classical cross-sectional technology biotechnology has huge potential to develop sustainable innovations in these areas. BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH is planning to focus more and more on tapping this potential to make it useable in the areas of environmental protection and regenerative energy as well as in the cleantech sector.

Energy experts have been dreaming about using hydrogen as an inexhaustible energy source for a long time. However this vision has not yet become reality. The search for intelligent affordable methods that can be used to convert sun energy wind or water power into hydrogen has so far led to dead ends. However small algae might now pave the way into the hydrogen era.

The German VDI has published new guidelines on how to determine the effects of genetically modified organisms. The guidelines should help amass information about changes in vegetation caused by genetically modified plants.

Press release - 02/09/2011

Environment Action Programme evaluated

Major accomplishments in the field of environment during the past ten years have been the extension of the Natura 2000 network to cover almost 18 of the EUs land area the introduction of a comprehensive chemicals policy and policy action on climate change.

Press release - 08/02/2012

Project BioConSepT - From plants to plastics

The project BioConSepT wants to convince and inspire stakeholders of the Bio-based Economy by demonstrating the complete feasibility of an integrated chain approach which is regarded as the basis for the next generation industrial White Biotechnology processes. The aim is to deliver processes that convert 2nd generation biomass into valuable chemicals which are cheaper and more sustainable than the corresponding chemical routes or the…

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.

Press release - 04/09/2009

Motivation impetus for researcher on bacteria

Dirk Linke 37 has been awarded the Advancement Award of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie DGHM. The award includes prize money of 2500 Euro and will be presented on September 20th 2009 during the 61st Annual Meeting of the DGHM in Göttingen.

Press release - 26/07/2018

Power-to-X technologies and renewables

Storage solutions will be very much in demand as renewables account for a growing share of electricity in the grid. One option – converting fluctuating green electricity into chemical energy carriers or raw materials – looks particularly promising. Scientists at the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) want to put power-to-X processes into action with a two-pronged strategy.

Over the next four years the European UNRAVEL project will demonstrate a sustainable and economically feasible biorefinery for the conversion of second generation biomass into fuels, chemicals and building materials. In their efforts the partnership from six European countries are supported by the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) which funds the UNRAVEL project with 3.6 million Euros.

In its applied science and technology transfer activities Constance University of Applied Sciences will focus to an even greater extent on special research priorities and interdisciplinarity. For this reason three new institutes have been set up.

Can animals survive the harsh conditions of outer space for example extreme cold vacuum ionising and cosmic radiation? This was the question the FOTON-M3 mission sought to answer in September 2007. Now the findings were published.

This internet portal an initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research provides foreign researchers and scientists with a wealth of easily accessible information about research opportunities in Germany.

The medium-sized company of Jürgen Pfitzer and Helmut Nägele received first prize of the Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken banks for the development of ARBOFORM a thermoplastic material.

Dossier - 09/04/2018

Digitisation in agriculture - from precision farming to farming 4.0

Automated steering systems, data-driven targeted application of fertilisers and pesticides, field robots and drones, soil analysis sensors, autonomous driving - digitisation is advancing in agriculture as elsewhere. The question asked by farmers and by society in general is whether the increasing adoption of digital technologies in agriculture is a curse or a blessing.

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…