Bioeconomy

Article - 13/02/2012

Emcid Biotech GmbH: mosses as gold mines

Mosses are a great source of molecules that offer protection against microorganisms dehydration and other stress factors but it is a potential that has yet to be fully exploited. Freiburg-based Emcid Biotech GmbH is developing a platform for the identification development and industrial production of natural substances and enzymes of lower plants in particular those of mosses.

Article - 18/05/2009

Less chemistry and fresher fruits and vegetables

At Lake Constance fruit growers have bigger problems to face than ideological discussions on biotechnology and genetic engineering. They need methodological solutions for devastating plant diseases that would help them reduce the use of chemicals.

Article - 03/05/2010

In order to innovate, we must come down from the ivory tower

At talks given at the recent Biotechnology Days in Berlin representatives of a number of different BMBF-funded clusters showed that numerous strategies to enable the industrial production of biopolymers and biomaterials from resources other than oil are now available.

Article - 01/09/2016

Tailor-made biotech fibres for improved wound dressings

Scientists have developed a biotechnological process to produce bacterial alginate. The alginate quality is highly reproducible, making it suitable for the production of fibre-based medicinal products such as wound dressings.

Article - 20/09/2010

mayer-THERMOPLASTE GmbH – technically sophisticated production

mayer-THERMOPLASTE GmbH is a specialist in high-quality plastics injection moulding. The company’s flexible organisation of production enables it to react quickly to customer requirements. Based on the idea of using biomaterials for injection moulding, the company’s managing directors, Dirk Elger and Günter Lachnit, are currently planning to become involved in production using sustainable plastics.

Article - 22/10/2012

How can a green economy protect the environment?

Jointly organised by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the recent Green Economy conference focused on how a sustainable bioeconomy can contribute to creating an environmentally friendly future. The conference participants agreed that immediate action was needed. Research programmes have been put in place to explore the…

Article - 09/11/2009

Keeping an eye on reed decline

The reed zones around Europes lakes are becoming increasingly smaller. The biologist Dr. Jan Nechwatal at the University of Constance is investigating the causes of reed decline and has identified a previously unknown plant pest.

Article - 31/12/2012

Mark van Kleunen: plant species and what they can tell us

Prof. Dr. Mark van Kleunen a Dutch biologist at the University of Konstanz is investigating the impact of climate change on specific plant species including clonal plant species that produce an exact copy of their genetic code due to asexual reproduction. Mark van Kleunen is specifically focused on genetic variations of the dwarf willow Salix herbacea found in alpine environments.

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 - 18/11/2013

Insilico Biotechnology AG: strategic orientation secures corporate growth

Insilico Biotechnology AG from Stuttgart designs and optimises biotechnological processes for the chemical pharmaceutical and food industries. The company makes predictions on the behaviour of cells and organisms. This knowledge can be used to reduce the time required for the development or optimisation of biotechnological processes involving the production of drugs. The company owns a worldwide unique systems biology platform that integrates…

Article - 25/02/2013

Microalgae can produce more than just fuel

Microalgae have played an important role as animal feed or food supplements for decades. They can also produce complex chemical compounds. This so-called material use of microalgae is already a major economic sector. However, when it comes to algal biotechnology, they are almost universally seen as just energy sources.

Article - 30/04/2012

How is phytochrome B translocated into the cell nucleus?

Plants cannot see but they can perceive the quantity and quality of light. As they have evolved plants have developed numerous molecular photodetectors such as phytochromes. Phytochromes can detect changes in the light situation. The undergrowth of forests thus manages to grow towards the few patches of sunlight that the phytochromes can detect. Researchers have long puzzled over how phytochromes transmit information about the light level into…

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 - 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 - 14/01/2013

Novel bioreactor and sponges that thin out light

Microalgae are veritable treasure troves. The cosmetics food and chemical industries already use algal metabolic products for various applications. In future the green unicellular organisms might also be grown on a large scale in photobioreactors installed on fallow land where they will be used as regenerative sources of energy. Mark Fresewinkel from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT is involved in a cooperative project aimed at…

Article - 11/11/2013

Pesticides and their effect on the environment

Ecotoxicologists from Tübingen are calling for new interdisciplinary approaches in order to improve investigations into the effect of pesticides on the living environment. They expect that a more effective and more frequent combination of field work and laboratory analyses will provide them with a clearer picture of the overall situation. This knowledge will enable all stakeholders involved in solving environmental issues to draw the right…

Article - 27/10/2014

Proteins for technical applications

The aim of the Technofunctional Proteins (TeFuProt) innovation alliance is to develop in an environmentally compatible way new products with high earnings potential by using proteins from agricultural residues. As part of the alliance, the lubricant company FUCHS EUROPE SCHMIERSTOFFE GmbH from Mannheim will add modified rapeseed proteins as non-toxic additives to its product portfolio. The use of proteins from renewable raw materials contributes…

Article - 31/07/2010

Tanja Weil: solutions involving biohybrid materials

Tanja Weil travelled across half the globe in order to be able to start her new position as the head of the Institute of Organic Chemistry III Macromolecular Chemistry and Organic Materials at the University of Ulm on 1 May 2010. Prior to her current position the 36-year-old chemist was associate professor at the renowned National University of Singapore and is now trying to bridge her discipline with the disciplines of biology medicine and the…

Article - 10/03/2008

Sharks and the evolution of the locomotory apparatus

Zoologists at the University of Tübingen are investigating the biomechanics of swimming and the evolution of the muscles and tendons needed for swimming. Detailed information on how fish adapt to specific lifestyles help in the development of robot fish.

Article - 19/09/2011

Uwe Ludewig and the future of agricultural crops

Prof. Dr. Uwe Ludewig has been head of the Department of Nutritional Crop Physiology at the University of Hohenheim for around a year now. Physicist by training and specialist in electrophysiology, Prof. Ludewig now works mainly on transport processes in plants. He plans to use molecular relationships to enhance the potential of agricultural crops, reduce the use of fertilisers and make agricultural plants fit for climate change.

Article - 13/09/2010

Stuttgart-based ZSW turns wood and electricity into gas

It is rather reassuring to know that fossil energy carriers can be replaced by renewable ones. However, the difficulties are always in the details. For example with regard to the storage capacity of electricity produced with sun and wind; or with regard to the use of biomass to produce natural gas substitutes. The Stuttgart-based Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) has a number of solutions up its sleeve for…

Prof. Dr. Michael Wink is coordinating the Molecular Evolution research project at the University of Heidelberg which deals with topics such as evolutionary research biodiversity and systematics as well as molecular ecology. Modern DNA analysis methods have shed new light on the relationships between birds of prey.

Article - 04/03/2011

Useful algal genome sequencing

Whole-genome sequence analyses have become indispensable for algal research. Sequence analyses provide information on the evolution of different groups of algae and contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms algae use to adapt to climate change as well as unlocking the potential to develop new and economically important products and technologies.

Layers of plastic much thinner than a strand of hair are of enormous interest to scientists and engineers. A team of researchers led by Prof. Stefan Mecking from Constance University has now developed a new method to produce wafer-thin layers.

Article - 15/10/2012

Rudolf Hausmann – green surfactants from bacteria

In April 2012 Rudolf Hausmann jr. was appointed professor of the newly established chair of bioprocess engineering at the University of Hohenheim. His passion biosurfactants used in cleaning agents detergents and foods which will in the future enable normally non-mixable liquids such as oil and water to be mixed together.