Bioeconomy

Article - 22/09/2014

Heike Frühwirth brings engineering methods into the hype about algae

Heike Frühwirth is not terribly taken by the euphoria surrounding the potential of algae. She knows better as she has become aware of the potential pitfalls from her own personal experience. Frühwirth was born in the Austrian city of Graz where she also studied process engineering. She has been in charge of process engineering under the industrial biotechnology study programme at Biberach University of Applied Sciences since 2012. She specializes…

Article - 25/08/2014

Production of synthetic polymers from algae oil

Algae are rich in valuable substances and can be grown easily, which makes them promising candidates for the sustainable production of raw materials. The work done by Prof. Dr. Stefan Mecking at the University of Konstanz in cooperation with plant physiologist Prof. Dr. Peter Kroth, confirms this. The two scientists have developed a method to transform algae oil into high-quality chemical raw materials which can, amongst other things, be used for…

Article - 04/04/2011

Clemens Posten: How can algae produce cheap energy?

Microalgae are a real treasure trove. The cosmetics food and chemical industries already use many algal metabolic products and it is envisaged that algae will become an important regenerative source of energy in the future. Prof. Dr. Clemens Postens Bioprocess Engineering team at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT focuses on bioprocess development and is investigating the effect of different diets and the dilution of light on algal product…

Article - 18/04/2011

Diatoms – small cells with huge potential

A group of researchers at the University of Konstanz led by Prof. Dr. Peter Kroth is working on an organism that is an extraordinarily successful survivor. Its chemical, biological and biochemical properties can be put to many different uses and it has the potential to be used in the healthcare market and industry to an even greater and more effective extent in the future. We are referring to diatoms.

Article - 16/04/2012

Symbiogenesis of mitochondria and plastids

The endosymbiotic theory, which holds that eukaryotic mitochondria and plastids arose from the engulfment and integration of a bacterium by another cell, has long been a matter of controversial debate, but growing evidence over time has led to the substantiation and universal acceptance of the theory. Recent genetic and biochemical analyses have provided detailed insights into the fundamental events that happened more than a billion years ago.

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 - 14/03/2011

Subitec GmbH – binding carbon dioxide, generating energy

Algae have become the beacons of hope in terms of energy generation and carbon dioxide fixation. Stuttgart–based Subitec GmbH has developed a unique reactor system to improve the cultivation of algae. The establishment of further pilot plants gives the company access to the constantly growing energy market.

Press release - 19/07/2012

Subitec GmbH raises 4.5 Mio Euros in second round financing

Subitec GmbH, a manufacturer of fully automated algae photobioreactors, hascloseda second round of financing. The CleantechFonds of eCAPITAL entrepreneurial Partners AG, Fraunhofer Venture, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and KfW Bankengruppe’s ERP-Startfonds participated in the capital increase. Subitec funds to the amount of 4.5 Mio Euros will accrue in this round of financing. The raised capital is to be used mainly for launching bioreactors on…

Press release - 20/10/2008

Blue algae - malicious killers?

Toxicologist Prof. Daniel Dietrich and his group of researchers at the University of Constance are working on clarifying the circumstances under which blue algae produce toxins and whether they are toxic for humans and animals.

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.

Article - 27/03/2019

Residues from biogas plants as feed for algae

Algae are frugal organisms. They require only light, water, minerals and carbon dioxide to be able to produce biomass. These properties will now be exploited economically in a two-year research project. Dr. Stefan Sebök from the University of Hamburg plans to study the holistic utilisation of degradation products of a biogas plant in Wallerstädten by linking them to land-based algae cultivation.

Article - 01/07/2009

KIT - Competence in bioprocess engineering

The purification of microbially produced substances such as proteins and polysaccharides and their separation from or release from within the cell are complex tasks in the field of biotechnology. The Bioprocess Engineering department of the Institute of Process Engineering in the Life Sciences TH deals with the development of integrated bioprocesses and is also involved in the separation of biopolymers.

Article - 14/09/2015

Producing chemicals sustainably using microalgae

Many chemicals in lubricants and washing powder are produced from fossil fuel. However, as fossil fuel is limited and reserves are slowly but surely running out, finding suitable substitutes is essential. This is the only way to ensure that much needed working materials continue to be available in the future. Sandra Heß from the University of Konstanz is involved in an interdisciplinary PhD project that explores the production of plastics,…

Konstanz chemist Professor Stefan Mecking awarded funding for innovative refinery concept for microalgae lipids.

Press release - 05/04/2008

Hezinger Algaetec: Bio-diesel should soon become cheaper

The system exporter Hezinger GmbH wants to act in future as a global supplier of photobioreactors for the breeding of algae in order to promote the extraction of bio-diesel from the vegetable oil of algae as an alternative to the use of wheat rapeseed and maize.

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 - 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.

Press release - 12/05/2009

Awards for bioreactor

Two Fraunhofer scientists have been awarded this year’s Ferchau Innovation Award. The first place, along with prize money of 10,000 euros, was awarded to Prof. Walter Trösch from the Fraunhofer Institute of Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart. Trösch uses photobioreactors to bind CO2 produced from flue gas plants. The second place, and 7,500 euros, went to Michael Emonts from the Fraunhofer Institute for Production…

EU research project with the participation of the University of Hohenheim searches for new, sustainable food additives and packaging materials from seaweeds and seagrasses.

Alternative energy sources are increasingly gaining in importance. Several teams of researchers including scientists from the University of Karlsruhe are using different strategies to increase hydrogen production in algae. These might then become environment-friendly low-cost suppliers of energy.

Article - 22/10/2009

On the track of fascinating diatoms

Diatoms make a considerable contribution to the production of oxygen and biomass in the worlds oceans and aquatic ecosystems. However up until now little is known about the molecular biology and chemistry of these eukaryotic algae. Prof. Peter Kroth and his team at the University of Constance are hoping to shed more light on these algae. The team has recently been involved in the deciphering of the Phaeodactylum tricornutum genome research that…

Press release - 14/02/2012

Fuel from market waste

Mushy tomatoes, brown bananas and overripe cherries – to date, waste from wholesale markets has ended up on the compost heap at best. In future it will be put to better use: Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart have developed a new facility that ferments this waste to make methane, which can be used to power vehicles.

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…

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.

A study also involving researchers from Constance shows that marine seaweed releases huge quantities of iodine when exposed to stress. This process contributes to cloud formation and thus has an effect on the climate.