Press release - 08/03/2023 Green gold: Torrefied biomass to replace coal and oil In February, the Estonian-based startup New Standard Oil successfully commissioned their first industrial-scale prototype for drying and torrefaction of biogenic feedstock operating with superheated steam at atmospheric pressure.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/green-gold-torrefied-biomass-replace-coal-and-oil
Event - 19/10/2022 - 20/10/2022 Future of Biofuels 2022 Copenhagen (Denmark), Kongress/Symposium https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/events/future-biofuels-2022
pre-start-up company Wheyfinery - 13/04/2022 Acid whey as a valuable raw material for platform chemicals and more There is not much you can do with acid whey, which is why several million litres of it are disposed of every year. This is both costly and not sustainable. However, researchers at Tübingen University have shown: acid whey can be used to produce precursors for biofuels, fine chemicals and antimicrobial livestock feed additives. They have set up the pre-start-up company Wheyfinery in an endeavour to make their scalable biorefinery concept…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/acid-whey-valuable-raw-material-platform-chemicals-and-more
Press release - 06/04/2022 Giant grass miscanthus: Bioethanol source with negative CO2 balance European collaborative project led by the University of Hohenheim shows: Combining bioethanol production with carbon storage can effectively reduce CO2.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/giant-grass-miscanthus-bioethanol-source-negative-co2-balance
Press release - 04/10/2021 European bioeconomy robust as bio-based industry turnover jumps to 780 billion EUR The bio-based industries continue their ascent marking a total contribution of 780 billion EUR, a notable increase of 30 billion EUR (+ 4%) compared to 2017. This represents a more than 20% increase compared to 2008 which is the earliest data taken into account in this series of reports by nova-Institute. The first report of the series was first commissioned by the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) in 2017.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/european-bioeconomy-robust-bio-based-industry-turnover-jumps-780-billion-eur
Press release - 09/07/2021 Refuels Are Suited for Wide Use Refuels are renewable fuels that can be produced in different ways. When they are mixed and processed such that they meet the existing fuel standards, they are suited for all types of combustion engines. This is the result of the latest vehicle and fleet tests within the project “reFuels – Rethinking Fuels” at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Compared to fully fossil fuels, refuel mixes allow for a CO2 reduction by 25% at least. Moreover,…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/refuels-are-suited-wide-use
Showcase Bioeconomy - 22/06/2021 Advanced biofuel breakthrough: HyFlexFuel converted sewage sludge and other biomasses into kerosene by hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) The EU funded research project HyFlexFuel recently succeeded to produce biocrudes via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) from a variety of biomasses, including sewage sludge, food waste, manure, wheat straw, corn stover, pine sawdust, miscanthus and microalgae in a pilot-scale continuous HTL plant at Aarhus University (Denmark).https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/advanced-biofuel-breakthrough-hyflexfuel-converted-sewage-sludge-and-other-biomasses-kerosene-hydrothermal-liquefaction-htl
Press release - 27/10/2020 Insects as efficient recyclers of biowaste In a review article recently published in the scientific journal Waste Management, ATB scientists outline the possibility of using insects to efficiently and sustainably recycle food waste. This insect-based bioconversion can help to close material cycles in the food value chain.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/insects-efficient-recyclers-biowaste
Press release - 18/05/2020 Biofuel for ships The combustion of conventional fossil fuels accounts for a large share of global CO2 emissions. A great deal of criticism is levelled against cruise and merchant ships for polluting the environment with sooty waste gas and toxic heavy fuels. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT in Oberhausen have been looking into alternative climate-friendly fuels.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/biosprit-fuer-den-schiffstank
Article - 10/01/2019 Stocktaking and recommendations for action: the BBAW’s fourth gene technology report In the new gene technology report, the interdisciplinary working group of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (BBAW) takes stock of gene technology developments in Germany during the past few decades, and discusses the societal, legal and ethical challenges associated with these technologies in the future. The report is highly topical due to the controversy surrounding the ruling of the European Court of Justice on CRISPR/Cas9 genome…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/stocktaking-and-recommendations-for-action-the-bbaws-fourth-gene-technology-report
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.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/celeriac-and-electricity-dual-use-system-on-arable-land
Press release - 30/07/2018 Driving on bark, building with nutshells Over the next four years the European UNRAVEL project will demonstrate a sustainable and economically feasible biorefinery for the conversion of second generation biomass into fuels, chemicals and building materials. In their efforts the partnership from six European countries are supported by the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) which funds the UNRAVEL project with 3.6 million Euros.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/driving-on-bark-building-with-nutshells
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. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/from-biomass-to-diesel
Article - 08/06/2017 Forests as providers of ecosystem services – the facets and consequences of logging One billion people worldwide rely on forests as living spaces. Illegal and legal deforestation endangers people’s livelihoods as well as social and economic structures. It also has a detrimental effect on the global climate. Prof. Dr. Daniela Kleinschmit, Professor for Forest and Environmental Policy at the University of Freiburg, discusses the causes and consequences of deforestation. She is co-editor of an international report on illegal…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/forests-as-providers-of-ecosystem-services-the-facets-and-consequences-of-logging
Article - 07/03/2016 Bio-racing car as a prototype for the car of the future How “bio” can a car be? Quite a lot, as the Bioconcept car developed by Reutlingen-based Four Motors demonstrates. Former DTM driver Tom von Löwis and his team are currently working on a fourth-generation biofuel-powered Bioconcept car. The body parts and interior are made from fully or partially biobased materials and composites with plant-fibre reinforced duromers. The optimised combustion engines are powered with biofuels. Anyone who thinks…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/bio-racing-car-as-a-prototype-for-the-car-of-the-future
Article - 11/02/2016 Next-generation biofuels – economical and climate friendly Alternatives for fossil fuels are urgently being sought. Prof. Dr. Ralf Kölling, a biotechnologist from the University of Hohenheim, and his team of scientists are working on a new, continuous method to produce bioethanol efficiently that could potentially overcome current drawbacks in biofuel production.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/next-generation-biofuels-economical-and-climate-friendly
Energy transition - 28/09/2015 Biogas from unicellular green algae Microalgae are among the most promising sources of sustainable, carbon-neutral biofuels for the future. They are already being used as feedstock for producing biogas, biodiesel, bioethanol and kerosene, but the associated production methods consume a great deal of energy and are rather costly. Dr. Nikolaos Boukis from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is working on the development of a sophisticated, thermochemical process with an…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/biogas-from-unicellular-green-algae
Overview Environmental analytics Nature provides the material basis for a bioeconomy. Preventive and production-integrated environmental protection will therefore become even more important in a bioeconomy. Powerful analytical systems that can be used in industrial processes or in the field will provide information about soil, air and water quality. Environmental analytics and monitoring are crucial for the bioeconomy.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/environmental-analytics
Overview Materials and chemicals Biomass can be used to produce chemicals, fibres, pigments and plastics. These products are either identical to their petroleum-based counterparts or have completely new properties. Biorefineries will play a key role in the transition to a bioeconomy. There is great expectation placed on the potential ability to convert the countless carbon compounds in biomass into chemicals and material components.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/materials
Overview Bioenergy Examples of fuels produced from biomass are biomethane, renewable natural gas (RNG), biogenic hydrogen, biokerosene, biomethanol, bioethanol and higher alcohols. However, in future, care must be taken to avoid the well-documented conflict between crops used for food and those used for fuel production. The bioeconomy strategy therefore calls for only using the biomass that cannot be used for producing food. Microalgae, biowaste and residual…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/bioenergy
Overview Politics, ethics and economy Agricultural land on Earth is limited. However, the increased need for food and feed coupled with the increasing use of biomass feedstocks leads to areas of conflict such as intensive farming, biodiversity loss, land grabbing and indirect land use change. Governments are faced with the major challenge of having to deal with and shape the bioeconomy while taking equally into account the ecological, economic and ethical concerns and integrating…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/politics
Overview Biobased resources A major goal of the bioeconomy is to use larger quantities of biobased raw materials to produce energy, transport fuels and feedstock for industrial processes. This requires detailed analyses, simulations, concepts and processes. Major focus needs to be placed on issues relating to crop production, biomass potentials, land surface requirements, conversion technologies, biobased value creation networks and food security. Agriculture, forestry,…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/biobased-resources
Overview What is a bioeconomy? The bioeconomy, or biobased economy, is a new model for industry and the economy. It involves using renewable biological resources sustainably to produce food, energy and industrial goods. It also exploits the untapped potential stored within millions of tons of biological waste and residual materials.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/bw/definition
Overview Bioeconomy in Baden-Württemberg Major impulses for the transition to a bioeconomy must come from the international and national level. This has been the case for Europe and Germany and is driven forward by programmes that have been launched by national and European governmentshttps://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/bw/location
Article - 01/06/2015 Cyanobacteria: real all-rounders – biofuel producers and climate savers Prof. Dr. Annegret Wilde and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hess from the Institute of Biology III at the University of Freiburg have been using the versatile cyanobacteria for quite some time. The two researchers are part of the project "Cyanosys - Systems biology of cyanobacterial biofuel production", which aims to use cyanobacteria for the large-scale production of biofuels from sunlight and carbon dioxide.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/cyanobacteria-real-all-rounders-biofuel-producers-and-climate-savers