Recent research shows effectiveness of biosurfactants - 28/11/2023 Combating oil spills - biosurfactants can stimulate microbial oil degradation Oil spills from drilling platforms and tankers cause environmental pollution and a loss of biodiversity. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart, among others, are now using biosurfactants to improve the management of oil spills: their latest research shows that biosurfactants lead to better microbiological degradation of oil components in seawater compared to conventional dispersants.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/combating-oil-spills-biosurfactants-can-stimulate-microbial-oil-degradation
Press release - 02/11/2023 Sustainability Innovation Campus The Sustainability Innovation Campus (ICN) initiated by the University of Freiburg and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), which will begin its work in January 2024, has announced a two-year funding programme for start-up projects. Scientists from the University of Freiburg, KIT and cooperating universities and research institutions are invited to submit their project outlines by 30 November 2023.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/sustainability-innovation-campus
Wasser 3.0: #detect|remove|reuse - 31/10/2023 How to sustainably remove and recycle microplastics from water We all pollute our water with things we use in our everyday lives. In the process, microplastics and micropollutants accumulate in sometimes significant quantities and are difficult to remove. This has increasingly devastating consequences for our health and the environment. Wasser 3.0, a non-profit start-up from Karlsruhe, has declared war on this problem by developing a customisable process to detect, remove and even recycle these pollutants.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/how-sustainably-remove-and-recycle-microplastics-water
Press release - 27/10/2023 Lignin coating makes Geotextiles made from environmentally friendly natural fibers durable Textiles are a given in civil engineering. Until now, textiles made of resistant synthetic fibers have been used for this purpose, having a long lifetime. For some applications, however, it would not only be sufficient but even desirable for the auxiliary textile to degrade when it has done its job. Natural fibers, in contrast, often decompose too quickly. The DITF are developing a bio-based protective coating that extends their service life.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/lignin-coating-makes-geotextiles-made-environmentally-friendly-natural-fibers-durable
Microorganisms degrade biobased turf infill - 17/10/2023 Eco-friendly artificial turf: a sports pitch that’s good for people and the environment There are thousands of artificial turf pitches in Germany. They are extremely practical, but often not at all environmentally friendly. When it rains or the pitch is used, plastic particles from the rubber granules can be released into the envronment, where they remain. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart along with the company TECNARO are now developing an artificial turf with an infill that biodegrades as soon as it leaves the pitch.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/eco-friendly-artificial-turf-sports-pitch-s-good-people-and-environment
Press release - 11/10/2023 Land Use: Producing More Food and Storing More Carbon Doubling food production, saving water, and increasing carbon storage capacity – this may sound paradoxical, but would be theoretically feasible. Reaching this goal, however, would require a radical spatial reorganization of land use. This is the conclusion of researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology (HeiGIT) of Heidelberg University.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/landnutzung-mehr-nahrung-produzieren-und-gleichzeitig-mehr-kohlenstoff-speichern
Press release - 09/10/2023 Microalgae: Environmentally friendly and healthy alternative to fish Researchers at the University of Hohenheim are working on an alternative to fish consisting of microalgae. Advantage: Microalgae have high quality ingredients and also contribute to carbon storage.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/microalgae-environmentally-friendly-and-healthy-alternative-fish
Press release - 29/09/2023 Ecological alignment of Artificial Intelligence The European Parliament’s amendments to the proposal for a Regulation on Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be defined as a socio-ecological turnaround compared to the European Commission’s existing draft. The parliamentary draft proposes a series of environmental and climate-related provisions which, in the Oeko-Institut’s view, are feasible and technically achievable. The Oeko-Institut has reviewed these proposals in a Policy Paper.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/ecological-alignment-artificial-intelligence
Press release - 27/09/2023 Raw material requirements for reducing global poverty calculated for the first time Researchers at the University of Freiburg quantify the amount of material needed to enable people to live without poverty. 1.2 billion people live in poverty. To lift them out of it, an average of about six tons of raw materials are needed per person and year – in particular minerals, fossil fuels, biomass and metal ores. This is the result of a study by researchers from the Chair of Sustainable Energy and Material Flow Management.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/raw-material-requirements-reducing-global-poverty-calculated-first-time
Press release - 26/09/2023 Local Food Systems: How sustainable are the business models for local food chains? Mobile units for processing fruit and vegetables on-site may play an important role in food supply in 2035. The EU’s FOX project investigated the form that such local food chains might take. To this end, Fraunhofer ISI developed future scenarios that could be used to test the viability of business models for regional food processing and distribution.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/local-food-systems-how-sustainable-are-business-models-local-food-chains
Press release - 25/09/2023 Autonomous outdoor navigation for machines used in farming, livestock and forestry Autonomous and robust navigation is an essential capability for agricultural robots or machines that are to reach a new level of autonomy to manoeuver safely and reliably in their environment. Fraunhofer IPA will showcase what is currently technologically and economically feasible with live demos at agritechnica, the agricultural trade fair taking place in Hanover from November 12 to 18, 2023.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/autonomous-outdoor-navigation-machines-used-farming-livestock-and-forestry
Press release - 07/08/2023 Vegan trend in Europe: In Germany, milk substitutes from plants are most popular alternative Germany has the most active market, Southern Europe wants more variety, and people in Poland find dairy substitutes too expensive, according to a recent study by the University of Hohenheim.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/vegan-trend-europe-germany-milk-substitutes-plants-are-most-popular-alternative
Press release - 27/07/2023 Self-healing plastic becomes biodegradable Konstanz chemists develop mineral plastics with numerous positive properties from sustainable basic building blocks and, together with biologists, demonstrate the material's excellent microbiological degradability.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/Self-healing-plastic-becomes-biodegradable
Press release - 25/07/2023 Glyphosate impairs learning in bumblebees What impacts do agrochemicals have on the ongoing global insect decline? Biologists at the University of Konstanz have found out that aversive learning is impaired in bumblebees exposed to glyphosate. Their study is published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/glyphosate-impairs-learning-bumblebees
Press release - 21/07/2023 Biosurfactants might offer an environmentally friendly solution for tackling oil spills Can biosurfactants increase microbiological oil degradation in North Sea seawater? An international research team from the universities of Stuttgart und Tübingen, together with the China West Normal University and the University of Georgia, have been exploring this question and the results have revealed the potential for a more effective and environmentally friendly oil spill response.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/biosurfactants-might-offer-environmentally-friendly-solution-tackling-oil-spills
Press release - 12/07/2023 Danger for the world's oceans and biodiversity Insightful study with participation from the University of Konstanz warns of human-induced impacts on the marine ecosystem.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/gefahr-fuer-weltmeere-und-biodiversitaet
Press release - 10/07/2023 Freiburg researchers investigate wildlife populations in ten large protected areas in Germany for the first time 7591 red deer, 3443 roe deer, 4876 wild boar, 36 wolves, 16 lynxes and 227 red foxes: These are the results of the first standardised monitoring of wildlife populations in ten large protected areas in Germany. It was carried out by scientists at the University of Freiburg led by Prof. Dr. Marco Heurich and Dr. Christian Fiderer from the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/freiburg-researchers-investigate-wildlife-populations-ten-large-protected-areas-germany-first-time
Press release - 30/06/2023 Rain-Retaining Living Wall combines densification with flood protection Climate change is causing temperatures to rise and storms to increase. In inner cities, summers are becoming a burden for people. Densification increases the amount of sealed surfaces. Green facades bring more green into cities. If textile storage structures are used, they can even actively contribute to flood protection. The German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research (DITF) have developed a "Living Wall".https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/rain-retaining-living-wall-combines-densification-flood-protection
Press release - 26/06/2023 How coral reefs can survive climate change Astonishing results published from individual projects of the Tara Pacific expedition studying coral reefs – the entire dataset is made publicly available – coordinator is a biologist from the University of Konstanzhttps://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/how-coral-reefs-can-survive-climate-change
Press release - 21/06/2023 Technology Assessment: KIT Advises Bundestag for Another Five Years The Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has been entrusted with the continued operation of the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag (TAB) in the next five years until 2028. This unanimous decision was taken by the Parliament Committee for Education, Research, and Technology Assessment during today’s meeting (June 21, 2023).https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/Technology-Assessment-KIT-Advises-Bundestag-for-Another-Five-Years
Press release - 02/05/2023 Tenure-track professorship for Soft Machines established Milana will strengthen the research of the Cluster of Excellence Living, Adaptive and Energy-autonomous Materials (livMatS) in the field and work closely with scientists from the Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies (FIT) and the Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF).https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/tenure-track-professur-fuer-soft-machines-eingerichtet
Press release - 26/04/2023 Simply EGG-genious: Students invent edible packaging from eggshells Ready-made meals are ideal for quickly satisfying hunger. However, the quick snacks produce a lot of environmentally harmful plastic waste. To tackle this problem, the student team EDGGY from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart rolled up its sleeves and developed edible packaging made from eggshells and other plant-based raw materials. And even better: they simply dissolve in the hot water and can be eaten as an additional protein boost. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/Simply-EGG-genious-Students-invent-edible-packaging-from-eggshells
Press release - 25/04/2023 Jellyfish-like robots could one day clean up the world’s oceans Roboticists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have developed a jellyfish-inspired underwater robot with which they hope one day to collect waste from the bottom of the ocean. The almost noise-free prototype can trap objects underneath its body without physical contact, thereby enabling safe interactions in delicate environments such as coral reefs. Jellyfish-Bot could become a tool for environmental remediation.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/jellyfish-robots-could-one-day-clean-worlds-oceans
Sustainable construction - 28/03/2023 Digital manufacturing processes enable buildings to be constructed with flax and willow A switch to sustainable and circular construction concepts is needed to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the construction sector. At the German National Garden Show (Bundesgartenschau) in Mannheim, FibR GmbH, together with researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, will be showcasing two innovative buildings made from flax and willow, renewable raw materials that exemplify possible building concepts of the future.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/digital-manufacturing-processes-enable-buildings-be-constructed-flax-and-willow
Residual materials with potential - 16/03/2023 PeePower™ – energy from urine The objective of the PeePower™ BUGA 2023 collaborative research project is to produce green hydrogen and platform chemicals from wastewater. This fits in nicely with BUGA 2023’s (German National Garden Show) four major themes, namely, climate, energy, environment and food security.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/peepower-energy-urine