Bioeconomy

New financing initiative targets investments by private cooperatives and companies in the agriculture sector. The EIB financing amounts to €400m and is expected to back close to €1bn of investment across Europe. Agreement is guaranteed by the Juncker Plan's European Fund for Strategic Investments.

Bioeconomy in the Danube region - 12/04/2018

A look at Baden-Württemberg - first interim results of the DanuBioValNet project

One year after the launch of the "DanuBioValNet" project, part of the Interreg Danube Transnational Programme, the first results of the Baden-Württemberg partners are starting to come in. Two events - one on the topic of phytopharmaceuticals and the second dealing with biobased packaging - have already been completed.

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.

Expert interview - 05/04/2018

Bioeconomy research delivers results of practical relevance

The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts has been funding the "Bioeconomy Research Programme Baden-Württemberg" since 2014. In his role as the chairman of the Strategy Circle and Steering Committee Professor Dr. Thomas Hirth has been instrumental in shaping the programme. Dr. Ursula Göttert from BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg talked with Prof. Hirth about how the bioeconomy has progressed in Baden-Württemberg.

Article - 20/03/2018

ISOCALM: Thermal insulation boards made of elephant grass

Constructing buildings with renewable resources is becoming more and more trendy. The Schorndorf-based company ISOCALM GmbH specialises in the manufacture of thermal insulation boards made of elephant grass. The elephant grass is grown and processed in Africa and global distribution of the boards is organised through the company's headquarters in Germany.

Dossier - 08/03/2018

Building sustainably - actively protecting the climate

Using renewable and recycled raw materials, minimising the use of water and energy during construction works and subsequent operation of a building, conserving resources and protecting the environment while maintaining biodiversity are all important components of sustainable building construction.

Article - 13/02/2018

Pleasant aromas from biogas

Butyric acid is an important source of fruity aromas. It accumulates as an intermediary product during biogas production, from where it can be siphoned off and used for producing flavours. A new collaborative project aims to explore the technological and bioeconomic potential of extracting butyric acid from biogas plants.

Press release - 05/02/2018

BIOPRO - an integral part of the new EU project “CirculAlps”

The forestry industry already makes an important contribution to the bioeconomy. A project called “CirculAlps” will expand and diversify this contribution as well as promoting the circular economy in the Alpine timber sector.

Article - 25/01/2018

Ö-Klo: recovering valuable materials by composting toilets

The Freiburg-based start-up company Ö-Klo leases composting toilets and is committed to the recovery of human urine and faeces. The young Ö-Klo entrepreneurs believe that reviving natural material cycles of soil, plants, food and excreta is crucial in times when natural resources such as phosphorus are dwindling.

Press release - 18/01/2018

Wood for clothing, reducing microplastics in our seas: VAUDE participates in the TextileMission research project

Together with various partners from environmental associations, the scientific community and the textile industry, VAUDE has launched the TextileMission research project. The goal is to find solutions that will reduce the environmental impact of microplastics released when synthetic apparel is washed. VAUDE is excited about the initial successful developments.

Article - 15/01/2018

PULaCell: inspiring wood construction with biobased polyurethane

The aim of the joint three-year "PULaCell" project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) is to develop biobased reinforcing profiles for solid wood construction materials. As part of the project, several research institutes and industrial companies are developing biobased, cellulose fibre-reinforced polyurethane profiles that will make future wood-based materials stronger.

Article - 14/12/2017

75 percent decline in insects in parts of Germany

A recent study on the disappearance of insects is making headlines: it found that the insect biomass has declined by more than 75% in certain areas in Germany that were monitored by the study over a period of 27 years. The authors believe that the dramatic decline in insect biomass is down to industrial agriculture, which is therefore in conflict with certain bioeconomic principles: the sustainable cultivation of biomass and the safeguarding of…

Press release - 12/12/2017

Phytopharma sector stakeholders in the Danube region extend networking activities

On 5 December, almost 50 stakeholders from the phytopharmaceutical sector in the Danube region gathered in Stuttgart for Phytopharma Day. The event provided insights into the work of collectors and growers of medicinal plants in Germany, Poland and Romania, and featured presentations by Baden-Württemberg companies. The participants also had the opportunity to discuss the extent to which science and industry could increase their networking…

Article - 04/12/2017

Textiles: water-repellent thanks to fungal proteins

Outdoor lovers and athletes love them: water-repellent jackets and trousers. However, many consumers are unaware that the chemicals used to functionalise the textile surface often pollute the environment. Organic fluorine compounds (perfluorocarbons = PFC) are usually added to textiles to make them water-repellent. Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB and the Hohenstein Group are researching an…

Article - 30/11/2017

Biomass from algae and the wholesale market – a promising replacement for fossil raw materials

Funding renewable energies is one of the EU’s key objectives. Biomass such as algae and organic waste are particularly promising because they are not in competition with food production. Scientists at the Fraunhofer IGB in Stuttgart ferment biomass from wholesale market waste and algae. They use a cascade process to obtain valuable materials and the biogas methane. Their aim is to close material cycles and achieve high efficiency and flexibility…

Article - 27/11/2017

Microalgae – resource-saving raw materials for the food and feed sectors

Coal, petrol and natural gas are our energy sources and the basis for the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. However, the supply of fossil fuels is gradually running out. The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart has turned to microalgae in the search for alternative sources of energy. Initial pilot projects in which a variety of different methods based on state-of-the-art technologies were…

Article - 15/11/2017

From biomass to diesel

Using the power of microbes: biochemists from Leipzig and Tübingen use the combined power of microbes and electrolysis to produce fuels from organic material. This new process uses electricity from renewable resources to produce diesel from organic waste and green cuttings, amongst other things, and can therefore also be used for storing wind and solar energy.

Bioeconomy in construction and architecture - 25/10/2017

Development of innovative, ecological construction materials and methods at the University of Stuttgart

The Baden-Württemberg construction sector is currently experiencing a similar boom to the one that occurred in 1996. Between January 2016 and January 2017, low interest rates and uninterrupted demand for housing has led to an increase in orders of almost 10%1. A shift from conventional building materials to biobased building materials and products would likely also support the transition to a bioeconomy in this economic sector. The Institute for…

Article - 29/09/2017

Building with bamboo and fungi – renewable buildings of the future

Bamboo to replace steel and fungi to replace concrete: a research group at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is working on ways of using renewable raw materials in the construction industry. Biological building materials such as bamboo and fungal mycelium could one day replace conventional materials such as steel and concrete.

Article - 13/09/2017

Flexible biogas plant operation – new concepts for stabilising bioenergy provision

The lack of flexibility with regard to peak demand for electricity – both for consumers and producers – is a well-known problem as far as the production of electricity from renewable resources is concerned. Biogas plants present a particular challenge due to the complex and relatively slow microbial processes involved. A research project called FLEXIZUCKER at the Universities of Ulm and Göttingen aims to make biogas production more flexible and…

Article - 03/08/2017

PURCELL – cellulose to replace plastics

Glass fibre-reinforced plastics have become an integral part of our everyday life: in cars, playground slides, swimming pools or on facades, such composites are used wherever stability is required. Unfortunately, both production and disposal are far from sustainable. Scientists from the German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf have now developed an innovative material made from pure cellulose, which has practically the same…

Article - 17/07/2017

Efficient production of fuel from biogenic residues

Natural gas is a more climate friendly fuel than raw materials such as coal and petroleum. Nevertheless it is also a fossil fuel that generates anthropogenic CO2 emissions. In a collaborative project at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, scientists and engineers are concentrating on finding out how biogenic residues and waste materials such as wood, sewage sludge and biomass mixtures can be turned into alternative gaseous fuels.

Article - 28/06/2017

The bioeconomy – buzzword or future concept?

The use of wood and other renewable raw materials for the production of industrial goods presents opportunities and risks. Is the shift from petroleum to wood possible and how can such a shift be best achieved? A research project at the University of Freiburg combines forestry know-how with political science methodology in order to sound out the bioeconomy.