Bioeconomy

Wood energy – heating with wood – interview with Stefan Pelz, HFR - 10/02/2020

Wood: a cornerstone in energy transition

While a good third of the electricity in Germany now comes from renewable energy sources, the production and supply of heat from renewables has stagnated at around 11.5 percent. Energy from biomass, mainly wood and biogas, accounts for over 80 percent of the renewable energy produced. Bioenergy municipalities show how locally available, renewable raw materials and solar power can be intelligently combined for supplying energy.

Press release - 10/12/2009

Hydrogen from microalgae

Hydrogen (H2) produced from water has great potential to be an environmentally friendly energy carrier of the future. However, the future application of hydrogen and other CO2-neutral sustainable fuels also requires the development of production methods that can contribute to the energy supply of tomorrow. Some unicellular green algae and cyanobacteria use light to break up water into hydrogen and oxygen. In cooperation with eight partners, KIT…

Article - 20/12/2010

Gicon: Using controllable biogas production to create virtual power stations

Conventional biogas plants have the disadvantage that the production of energy cannot be controlled in a flexible way. Therefore, Großmann Ingenieur Consult GmbH (GICON) has developed a fast, simple method for controlling biogas production from renewable resources. In addition, the two-stage dry-wet fermentation process with split hydrolysis makes it possible to control the two stages independently. Heribert Krämer, head of the GICON subsidiary…

Producing valuable new products from waste materials - 07/01/2020

A vision: insect biorefineries as components of a sustainable bioeconomy

Eco-friendly and responsibly manufactured products are more in demand than ever before. Specific research is being carried out into materials and applications for a wide variety of uses. The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB is working with Hermetia Baruth GmbH on the vision of an insect biofactory that uses waste materials to produce a wide range of products such as biosurfactants, animal feed or foils.

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.

Article - 01/12/2014

wusoa GmbH: What shall we do with manure? Liquid manure for decentralized small-scale biogas plants.

Biogas has become an alternative and sustainable energy resource. In 2013, the 7,850 biogas plants in Germany – including 858 in Baden-Württemberg – produced enough biogas to cover around seven percent of Germany’s total electricity needs. Martin Falger, managing director of wusoa GmbH in Stuttgart, explained in an interview with Sanja Fessl (BIOPRO) why he believes that small-scale biogas plants have a promising future. They expand the biogas…

Article - 26/07/2010

University of Hohenheim and AVAT: innovative method for the production of biogas

Partners from industry and research have joined forces to develop an innovative method for the production of biogas. In contrast to standard methods, the chemical degradation processes will in future take place in different tanks rather than in just one. The developers hope that the separation of the processes will expedite the degradation processes, improve the quality of the individual degradation products, and enable their broad applications.…

Article - 14/05/2012

Can green cuttings be turned into biogas?

Grass flowers and small bushes are constant features along roadsides they are mowed at regular intervals and either dumped left where they are or less frequently composted. Cuttings like these could contribute to solving the global energy problem and even generate money. However communities that are aiming to turn green waste from roadsides riversides or sports grounds into biogas and hence a renewable source of energy are confronted with…

AFYREN secures procurement of sugar beet co-products, major feedstock for industrial- scale production of its sustainable chemicals.

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,…

Using ultrapure lignin from the lignocellulosic biorefinery at the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes CBP in Leuna, researchers at the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg (TU HH) have produced lignin-containing aerogels and processed high-porosity insulating boards with excellent insulation properties. The lignin was recovered from beech residual wood at the Fraunhofer CBP using the Organosolv process.

The fact that petrol is becoming more and more expensive has a knock-on effect on the chemical industry. At Biotechnica 2008 Fraunhofer researchers showed how chemical products can be produced from rape whey and crab shells.

Press release - 25/07/2011

Lufthansa using biofuels on scheduled flights

An Airbus A321 will be flying between Hamburg and Frankfurt to test biofuel on scheduled flights over the course of six months. On this service, one engine will be using a fuel blend containing 50 percent biosynthetic kerosene. The key objective of this project is to conduct a long-term test during which the impact of biofuels on the maintenance and efficiency of jet engines can be investigated.

Dossier - 14/05/2012

Biogas – a promising source of renewable energy?

In addition to sunlight water and wind biogas is a regenerative source of energy that contributes to saving fossil resources. Germany is home to around 7100 biogas plants including 796 as of 2011 in Baden-Württemberg. In 2010 these facilities produced 11 per cent of the electricity generated from renewables in Germany. Energy-rich methane is the major constituent of biogas and is produced when organic compounds are broken down by bacteria in the…

Article - 28/06/2010

ATG:biosynthetics GmbH – Modular molecular systems of the future

ATGbiosynthetics GmbH based in Merzhausen close to Freiburg produces biological systems that can combine gene constituents following a construction kit principle. The company provides the pharmaceutical industry and basic researchers with products that have specifically chosen properties.

The Witzenhausen Institute and the University of Bayreuth conducted a very interesting study, analysing the compost of several German industrial composting facilities for possible plastic content deriving from compostable biowaste bags. The field study concluded that compostable bags, certified according to the European standard EN 13432, do not pose any challenges to the quality of the compost.

Press release - 16/07/2012

CO2-development: a vision of a carbon dioxid economy

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are largely responsible for the greenhouse effect and thus for climate change. A reduction in CO2 emissions is therefore at the very top of the international political agenda. Trials are running in parallel to explore underground sequestration of CO2 from power stations, thereby removing it from the atmosphere. It would at first sight seem paradoxical to wish to use energy-poor, inert CO2 molecules. Considerable…

Article - 16/05/2012

Ecologists can drive forward biogas research too

The biologist Prof. Dr. Marian Kazda from Ulm has worked on biogas research for many years. However, he occupies a particular niche in that he approaches the topic from the point of view of a problem-oriented ecologist. The 55-year-old is head of the Institute of Systematic Botany and Ecology at the University of Ulm and his specific field of research is plant ecology. It was his work on wetlands that first got him interested in biogas research.

Press release - 07/03/2012

Bio-based plastics convince with high climate protection potential and low use of fossil resources

A meta-analysis of 30 life cycle assessments by the nova-Institute for innovation and ecology on behalf of the Proganic company shows unambiguously positive results for the widespread bio-based plastics PLA and PHA/PHB.

The study “Life and Biological Sciences and Technologies as Engines for Bio-based Innovation”, funded by the European Commission, DG Research and Innovation has been published and is now available for download from the website of the Publications Office of the European Union.

Article - 30/03/2009

Bacteria can determine the flavour of wine

What is the connection between biotechnology and wine production? The answer is that there are more than 150 yeasts currently on the market that are used to influence the fermentation and hence the quality of wine. Enzyme preparations optimise the different steps in wine production. Dr. Jürgen Sigler from the State Institute of Viticulture and Oenology WBI is working on the development of biological methods to improve the flavour and taste of…

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…

The European Parliament’s report on the European Strategy for Plastics adopted today by the plenary testifies to the increasing acknowledgement and endorsement of the value propositions of bioplastics. Rapporteur Mark Demesmaeker highlights the potential role of bio-based plastics and of biodegradable plastics in establishing a strong circular EU bioeconomy.