Bioeconomy

Paper technology - 10/03/2021

PLAFCO – a sustainable plastic substitute made from paper

Plastic is indispensable: it is cheap and practical and found in many disposable products such as drinking straws, disposable tableware or even packaging like bonded beverage cartons or bags – and it has a disastrous effect on the environment. The start-up company Plafco Fibertech Oy has developed a sustainable plastic substitute made of paper that could replace many disposable plastic products in the future.

University of Hohenheim project contributes to maintaining valuable biotopes: Autonomous robot to help prune fruit trees so they stay healthy.

From field to socket - 03/02/2021

Energy park & Donau-Silphie: a symbiosis that benefits nature

Biogas plants that produce non-fossil fuels are very much in vogue at the moment. In the Swabian hamlet of Hahnennest, four family farms have joined forces to form an energy park and operate a local biogas plant, covering everything from substrate production to the sale of energy.

Paper production from plant fibres - 20/01/2021

In one cycle: ecopaper, energy and fertiliser made from Silphium perfoliatum

Many consumers don't care about exactly how their paper packaging is made and what it is made of as long as it is "eco". But even producing recycled paper, trees need to be felled. An alternative could be paper made from cup plant. Together with partners, a company called Silphie Paper has developed concept for obtaining fibres for a new type of grass paper, while also producing heat, energy and nutrients for natural fertilisers.

Biobased building materials - 14/01/2021

Chitin for the development of sustainable materials for use in the construction and other industries

Pliable and robust, light and stable - it sounds like an ideal material for the construction and many other industries. A team of researchers at the University of Stuttgart is researching what purposes the naturally good properties of chitin can serve.

Dossier - 09/11/2020

Packaging of the future

What will the packaging of the future look like, and what will be required of it? Can packaging be biobased, recyclable, sustainable and economic? In Baden-Württemberg, there are various approaches to developing packaging with the above properties from various sources including agricultural residual and side streams as well as municipal waste.

Time for climate protection is pressing. One approach to tackle this challenge is to use the greenhouse gas CO2 as a raw material for chemicals. The researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, together with partners from science and industry, were able to produce a value-added terpenoid dye from CO2 adsorbed from air by a combination of electrochemical and biotechnological conversion.

Dossier - 28/04/2020

Sustainable bioenergy

Biomass from forestry and agriculture along with residues from industry and households can contribute to our energy and raw material shift. Sustainable, regenerative biomass-based energy can become part of the energy mix of the future within the framework of a bioeconomy.

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.

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.

Dossier - 04/03/2019

Sustainable textiles

Baden-Württemberg is known for innovation in textiles and for playing a decisive role in the development of sustainable textiles for the future both in the clothing and the booming technical textile sectors. Companies and research institutes are focused on making the entire textile value chain from raw materials, production and useful life to disposal more sustainable than ever before.

Anniversary - 12/12/2018

15 years of BIOPRO: Pooling competencies – pushing innovations

This is the leitmotif of BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH, which was founded in 2003. 15 years is a good time to pause for a moment and take a look at BIOPRO’s work and achievements. As a central point of contact and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Baden-Württemberg government whose main objective is to promote networking, BIOPRO knows only too well that progress is not made alone, but in collaboration with others.

Article - 06/12/2018

Celeriac and electricity: dual-use system on arable land

Food or fuel? Potatoes or electricity? In addition to growing energy crops for biofuel and biogas production, open space solar plants also compete with food production when it comes to land use. Agrophotovoltaics (APV), i.e. the dual use of arable land, can mitigate the conflicting interests of agriculture and open space PV systems. APV-RESOLA is a pilot project aimed at investigating the efficiency of this dual use.

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 - 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.

The sustainable economic system known as the bioeconomy is based on two main pillars: the use of renewable raw materials rather than fossil raw materials, and biobased innovations. The aim of the bioeconomy is therefore not only to replace fossil raw materials, but also to develop completely new products and processes. In so doing, it contributes to and creates the conditions for a closed circular economy. Baden-Württemberg has the skills…

Plastic waste - 23/08/2018

Microplastic in waters – mini waste as maxi problem

New studies reveal that rivers are major contributors to marine ecosystem pollution. A study commissioned by environmental authorities in BW and four other German states analysed samples from 25 rivers to gain an idea of the occurrence of microplastics in German inland waters. In addition, Dr. Natalie Orlowski from the University of Freiburg is analysing microplastics pollution in the Dreisam River.

The state of Baden-Württemberg is characterised by strong economic expertise in the field of plant and mechanical engineering as well as excellent research institutions in the fields of biology, biotechnology, bioprocess engineering and chemistry. These form an excellent basis for a sustainable economy by promoting technology development and innovation for tomorrow’s bioeconomy.

The aim of the bioeconomy is to move industry’s raw material base towards a greater use of biogenic raw materials or to increasingly use bioinspired processes and bring to the forefront issues such as climate protection and sustainability. The bioeconomy therefore creates new opportunities for services, technologies and products. Bioeconomy products already exist, especially as far as chemicals and materials are concerned.

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.

Press release - 27/07/2018

KIT Takes the Next Step: Federal and State Ministries Determined to Push KIT’s Further Development

To further support and develop the scientific capacity of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the federal and state governments are determined to take the courageous merger of 2009 to the next level. During their joint visit of KIT today, Federal Minister of Education and Research Anja Karliczek and the Baden-Württemberg Minister for Science, Research and the Arts Theresia Bauer agreed on the next steps.

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.