Bioeconomy

A report recently published by the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) and Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) shows that with only 16% of the biowaste potential being used, the biowaste management still remains an untapped potential for the European Union to further transition to a Circular Economy. Both organizations jointly produced a first-of-its-kind report estimating the current and future availability of bio-waste in the EU27.

Drought and weather fluctuations threaten agriculture in Germany often in spring already. An increasing number of farmers is forced to irrigate fields artificially. Water resources, however, are limited. Precise information on the state of plants and soils helps farmers take effective measures against damage caused by drought and to enhance irrigation efficiency.

Article - 27/11/2019

Transgene-free plant breeding using genome editing

Plant geneticists from Tübingen have used genome deletion to breed a variety of tomato that is resistant to powdery mildew. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology that they used enabled them to achieve this in a relatively short period of time. They also demonstrated beyond any doubt that the new tomato variety contains no foreign DNA and is indistinguishable from naturally occurring deletion mutants.

Dossier - 15/11/2019

Microplastics – Waste is a valuable resource, it is just in the wrong place

The negative image of plastic persists and is not getting any better in the face of the ongoing debate about microplastics which are basically everywhere. Plastic pollutes the environment. The globe is littered with huge quantities. We have to modify the production and utilisation of macroplastics as well as fundamentally rethink the way we dispose of them. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ mentality must become a thing of the past.

How can we achieve the internationally agreed climate targets? The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB makes the greenhouse gas CO2 usable as a carbon source for the chemical industry. With a patented catalyst synthesis, screening for the optimal catalyst in high throughput and combined (electro)chemical-biotechnological processes, various concepts are available to CO2 emitting industries.

Europe’s leading universities in the field of the bioeconomy are looking to further intensify their existing cooperation to develop common problem-solving approaches for society’s most urgent challenges.

Press release - 02/07/2018

European "AlpLinkBioEco" project involving BIOPRO successfully launched

The goal of the Interreg Alpine Space project "AlpLinkBioEco" is to establish better connections between Alpine regions and to focus more on biobased and circular value chains. BIOPRO is working to achieve this goal as part of a consortium involving 13 other European partners from France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia.

Guest contribution - 24/04/2018

Back to the future? From wood to coal to a sustainable bioeconomy

The historic transition from wood to hard coal was successfully made in the 19th century. We are now on our way to a sustainable bioeconomy. Research carried out by the Faculty of the Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Freiburg reveals what history can teach us about the transition to a more sustainable, biobased economy.

Dossier - 08/03/2018

Building sustainably - actively protecting the climate

Using renewable and recycled raw materials, minimising the use of water and energy during construction works and subsequent operation of a building, conserving resources and protecting the environment while maintaining biodiversity are all important components of sustainable building construction.

Press release - 05/02/2018

BIOPRO - an integral part of the new EU project “CirculAlps”

The forestry industry already makes an important contribution to the bioeconomy. A project called “CirculAlps” will expand and diversify this contribution as well as promoting the circular economy in the Alpine timber sector.

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…

Article - 22/02/2016

Building with wood to decarbonise the economy

If we want to limit the effects of climate change, wood is the building material of choice as it can store carbon. As trees grow, they take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and, even when they are harvested, carbon remains stored in the wood for the lifespan of the product. Prof. Dederich from Rottenburg University of Applied Forest Sciences shows that even multi-storey buildings can be built from wood and be safe, durable and aesthetically…

Dossier - 30/09/2014

Industrial biotechnology: a challenging change to the raw material base

Biogenic raw materials have never been as popular as they are now. Efforts to tap renewable carbon resources are already underway, despite the fact that new oil drilling technologies are boosting fossil fuel stockpiles. In the medium term, industry will have to expand its raw materials base, and in the long term it may have to renew it completely. Industrial biotechnology is one of the key technologies in the transition from an economy based on…

Article - 21/05/2013

Green coal from plants – CO2 neutral and infinite

It is just a matter of time before coal and oil will run out. However, there are, it would seem, ways to counteract this situation. Plants can be turned into fossil energy carriers, with the added advantage that the combustion of plants on average only releases as much CO2 as the plants have previously absorbed from the atmosphere. Professor Andrea Kruse from the University of Hohenheim is developing methods for using whole green plants for the…

Article - 31/12/2012

Mark van Kleunen: plant species and what they can tell us

Prof. Dr. Mark van Kleunen a Dutch biologist at the University of Konstanz is investigating the impact of climate change on specific plant species including clonal plant species that produce an exact copy of their genetic code due to asexual reproduction. Mark van Kleunen is specifically focused on genetic variations of the dwarf willow Salix herbacea found in alpine environments.

Article - 22/10/2012

How can a green economy protect the environment?

Jointly organised by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the recent Green Economy conference focused on how a sustainable bioeconomy can contribute to creating an environmentally friendly future. The conference participants agreed that immediate action was needed. Research programmes have been put in place to explore the…

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 - 25/06/2012

The Tara Oceans Expedition

The Tara Oceans Expedition has now come to an end after a 115,000 km round-the-world voyage lasting two and a half years. Under the scientific leadership of Dr. Eric Karsenti from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, the expedition has collected a unique quantity and diversity of samples and data about marine plankton. The purpose of this international project is to carry out morphogenomic analyses and obtain detailed insights…

Article - 14/05/2012

Biogas and sustainability

The German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) has led to a considerable increase in the use of biogas in Germany. However, increasing biogas production must make ecological sense and not generate conflict with the sustainability objectives of environmental conservation schemes. There must therefore be a careful consideration of the overall conditions. An analysis of the ecological impact of the generation and use of biogas in Germany taking into…

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.

Press release - 15/11/2011

Are Natural Halogenated Hyrdocarbons Harmful to the Ozone Layer?

Over 20 years ago, the industrial production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) was prohibited in order to protect the ozone layer. However, research findings by environmental physicists from Heidelberg University suggest that the ozone layer may also be damaged by natural chlorinated, brominated and possibly iodinated hydrocarbons formed in significant amounts by water plants and microorganisms on the oceanic coasts. This conjecture, recently…

Article - 19/09/2011

k-labor GmbH – a specialist in material analysis and characterisation

k-labor GmbH focuses on the initial inspection of samples for the automotive industry and the testing of a broad range of different materials. k-labor also specialises in environmental simulations and durability testing and offers consulting and the transfer of technologies in the plastics sector.

Article - 19/09/2011

Uwe Ludewig and the future of agricultural crops

Prof. Dr. Uwe Ludewig has been head of the Department of Nutritional Crop Physiology at the University of Hohenheim for around a year now. Physicist by training and specialist in electrophysiology, Prof. Ludewig now works mainly on transport processes in plants. He plans to use molecular relationships to enhance the potential of agricultural crops, reduce the use of fertilisers and make agricultural plants fit for climate change.

Press release - 02/09/2011

Environment Action Programme evaluated

Major accomplishments in the field of environment during the past ten years have been the extension of the Natura 2000 network to cover almost 18 of the EUs land area the introduction of a comprehensive chemicals policy and policy action on climate change.

Press release - 05/05/2011

European Commission announces new strategy to halt biodiversity loss

The European Commission presented today a new strategy to protect and improve the state of Europe's biodiversity over the next decade.