Mini-factories for producing bioplastics - 05/05/2022 Bacteria produce bioplastics: resource-saving and very environmentally friendly Using living cells as mini-factories to produce plastic from nothing more than water, sunlight and carbon dioxide; plastic that is also 100 percent degradable – it sounds far-fetched but it actually works: researchers at the University of Tübingen have genetically engineered cyanobacteria so that they fill their cells to the brim with polyhydroxybutyrate. The researchers are now turning the idea into reality with the development of pilot plants.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/bacteria-produce-bioplastics-resource-saving-and-very-environmentally-friendly
Lentil cultivation and cleaning on the farm - EIP-AGRI Rhizo-Linse project - 16/03/2022 Lentils return to the Heckengäu region Lentils are among the oldest crop plants in Central European agriculture and were once a popular food in ancient Egypt, Persia and Mesopotamia. The legume was widespread in Germany until the mid-20th century, but has since disappeared completely from farmers’ fields. Over the past decade, lentils have reappeared as a crop grown locally and are cultivated in harmony with nature.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/lentils-return-heckengaeu-region
Further utilisation of plant residues - 25/11/2021 Novel fibre composite made from hop fermentation residues Biogas plants produce energy-rich gas by fermenting biomass. This process generates both liquid and solid fibrous and particulate fermentation residues. Researchers at the German Institutes of Textile and Fibre Research (DITF) have now managed to create a resistant and water-repellent fibre composite material from solid hop residues that can be used as a veneer to coat wood panels.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/novel-fibre-composite-made-hop-fermentation-residues
Climate-friendly circular economy - 11/11/2021 CO2 from the air as a raw material for chemicals A Fraunhofer team has successfully produced a dye using CO2 adsorbed from the air. The aim is to move towards a climate- and resource-friendly circular economy. Chemicals, as well as fuels, can be produced cost-effectively using this process. How does the technical process work, and what opportunities does it open up?https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/co2-air-raw-material-chemicals
Press release - 01/10/2021 Crucial step identified in the conversion of biomass to methane Researchers find the enzymatic link in the formation of methane from fatty acids by cooperating microorganisms. Microbial production of methane from organic material is an essential process in the global carbon cycle and an important source of renewable energy. This natural process is based on a cooperative interaction between different types of microorganisms: the fermenting bacteria and the methane-producing archaea.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/crucial-step-identified-conversion-biomass-methane
Press release - 01/10/2020 Bacteria fed on a customized diet produce biodegradable polymers for alternative packaging in the cosmetics industry Germany generates around 38 kilograms of plastic waste per capita each year. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB and the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV are now working to establish a holistic concept for the sustainable use of biologically degradable packaging materials in the cosmetics industry. The project is focusing on polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs).https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/Bacteria-fed-on-a-customized-diet-produce-biodegradable-polymers-for-alternative-packaging-in-the-cosmetics-industry
Press release - 28/08/2020 Bayreuth researchers develop new biomaterials from spider silk New biomaterials developed at the University of Bayreuth eliminate risk of infection and facilitate healing processes. These nanostructured materials are based on spider silk proteins. They prevent colonization by bacteria and fungi, but at the same time proactively assist in the regeneration of human tissue. They are therefore ideal for implants, wound dressings, prostheses, contact lenses, and other everyday aids.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/preventing-infection-facilitating-healing-bayreuth-researchers-develop-new-biomaterials-spider-silk
Press release - 19/08/2020 Value creation by combining electrochemistry with biotechnology 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.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/farbstoffe-aus-atmosphaerischem-co2
Degradable biopolymers - 29/05/2020 Bioplastics make wood cycles more sustainable Innovative technologies and bacteria can transform wood residues into sustainable bioplastic packaging. Before bioplastics are broken down into CO2 and water in an environmentally friendly way, they can thus lead lives as products in the cosmetics industry, for example.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/bioplastics-make-wood-cycles-more-sustainable
Press release - 13/05/2020 Microbial Cyborgs: Bacteria Supplying Power Electronic devices are still made of lifeless materials. One day, however, “microbial cyborgs” might be used in fuel cells, biosensors, or bioreactors. Scientists of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have created the necessary prerequisite by developing a programmable, biohybrid system consisting of a nanocomposite and the Shewanella oneidensis bacterium that produces electrons. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/mikrobielle-cyborgs-bakterien-als-stromlieferanten
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.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/pleasant-aromas-from-biogas
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…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/textiles-water-repellent-thanks-to-fungal-proteins
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.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/made-to-measure-biotech-fibres
Article - 29/02/2016 Biopower made from wastewater Researchers worldwide are working to develop new technologies for producing clean energy. A team of researchers led by Sven Kerzenmacher at the University of Freiburg's Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) is interested in combining wastewater and bacteria, an approach that is both unusual and promising.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/biopower-made-from-wastewater
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…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/how-the-application-of-chemicals-in-response-to-oil-spills-can-be-improved
Article - 30/11/2015 Bacterial MccA is better than other enzymes when it comes to reducing sulphites Dr. Bianca Hermann from the University of Freiburg specialises in multi-haem enzymes, and investigates the enzymes’ structure and reaction mechanisms. She has clarified the enzymes’ crystal structure and reaction mechanisms and found out why the bacterial MccA enzyme complex can reduce sulphur-containing substances such as sulphites up to a hundred times faster than other enzymes.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/bacterial-mcca-is-better-than-other-enzymes-when-it-comes-to-reducing-sulphites
Article - 11/11/2015 A metal enzyme that can cleave benzene rings Aromatic rings are extremely stable and very difficult to break apart. Prof. Dr. Matthias Boll from the University of Freiburg’s Faculty of Biology and his team work with Geobacter metallireducens, a bacterium that can completely degrade aromatic compounds under strictly anaerobic conditions. While the biological degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons is of global relevance, the chemical resulting from the reduction of benzene rings could also be…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/a-metal-enzyme-that-can-cleave-benzene-rings
Article - 08/06/2015 Biosurfactants - effective fat solvents made by bacteria In early 2015, a company called Biotensidon GmbH from Karlsruhe established a white biotechnology subsidiary to develop a fermenter prototype for producing rhamnolipids, which are excellent bacterial surfactants. The project, which was carried out in cooperation with scientists from the Science & Technology Center in Ukraine, means that traditional petroleum-based surfactants can now be replaced by biosurfactants. The latter are extremely…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/biosurfactants-effective-fat-solvents-made-by-bacteria
Article - 09/12/2013 Biological soil remediation: phytoremediation with plants and their associated microbes Prof. Dr. Andreas Kappler and his team of researchers from the University of Tübingen are exploring how cadmium and other harmful metal compounds can be removed from soil. The principle is based on the ability of bacteria to break up cadmium-containing soil particles the released cadmium is then taken up by the plants and removed as the plants are pruned and disposed of.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/biological-soil-remediation-phytoremediation-with-plants-and-their-associated-microbes
Article - 10/06/2013 An ingenious trick of nature: bacterial toxin-antitoxin systems Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are the oldest known form of life and have been around for 3 billion years. It stands to reason therefore that they should be relatively simple and primitive organisms. But this is not quite the case: two scientists from the Institute of Biology III at Freiburg University, Stefan Kopfmann and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hess, have discovered that cyanobacteria have developed a clever natural selection…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/an-ingenious-trick-of-nature-bacterial-toxin-antitoxin-systems
Article - 31/05/2013 Research in Biberach – does the bioeconomy have a purple future? Rhodospirillum rubrum bacteria have long attracted the interest of biotechnologists due to their ability to produce large quantities of pigments. Microbiologist Hartmut Grammel from Biberach University of Applied Sciences and scientists from the Magdeburg-based Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems are studying the bacterias suitability for the fixation of CO2 with the distant objective of producing organic materials with…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/research-in-biberach-does-the-bioeconomy-have-a-purple-future
Article - 03/09/2012 The Matryoshka principle of green symbiosis Unicellular, aquatic dinoflagellates are masters of what is known as nested symbiosis. They engulf chloroplast-carrying organisms which enable them to photosynthesize sunlight. While this type of symbiotic relationship enables dinoflagellates to survive, the toxins produced by algal blooms, which typically involve dinoflagellates, can have a deadly effect on marine life. This in turn can also affect organisms that consume marine life – including…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/the-matryoshka-principle-of-green-symbiosis
Dossier - 23/07/2012 Extremophilic bacteria What causes stress for some, actually speeds others like extremophilic bacteria up. They love it hot, sour or salty, toxic substances like heavy metals also do them good and even give them energy. As molecular and systems biology techniques get better and better, industry is also becoming increasingly interested in these exotic organisms. What potential does knowing the biochemistry of extremophilic bacteria have for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/dossiers/extremophilic-bacteria
Article - 23/07/2012 The heat is on – unknown biochemistry in extreme situations Most of what is easily accessible has in principle already been discovered said Dr. Ivan Berg from the University of Freiburg explaining why he is investigating the metabolic pathways in extremophilic microorganisms. The researcher and his team are interested in the biochemistry of organisms living in hot volcanic springs and the Dead Sea. Examples of this are two metabolic pathways which the researchers from Freiburg discovered in organisms…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/the-heat-is-on-unknown-biochemistry-in-extreme-situations