Bioeconomy

Article - 07/12/2015

MOSSclone: peat moss for measuring air pollution

Continuous monitoring of environmental air quality has been mandatory in the EU since 1996. However, state-of-the-art technical measurement systems are expensive and lack mobility. A European consortium led by biologist Prof. Dr. Ralf Reski has developed a new system that uses peat moss in so-called ”MOSSpheres” for monitoring air pollution. The project MOSSclone started in April 2012 and funding ended in March 2015.

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.

Article - 13/07/2015

Recovering phosphorus from sewage sludge

The chemical element phosphorus, which is mainly used as a fertiliser in agriculture, is a key building block for all life forms. Phosphorus cannot be substituted by other elements or produced synthetically. In addition, it is scarce on Earth and the majority of phosphate rock preserves are located in just a handful of countries. A European-wide research project on phosphorus recycling now presents ways of producing the precious raw material from…

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.

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.

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…

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,…

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…

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 governments

Article - 04/05/2015

Bioprocess engineering: Sybille Ebert to teach key biotechnological skills

Every single biotechnological production process is tested in shake flasks before it is gradually scaled up to eventually produce tons of platform chemicals or biofuels in cubic-metre sized fermenters. Prof. Dr. Sybille Ebert teaches the theory and practice of bioprocess engineering in the form of lectures and practical laboratory exercises to students at the Biberach University of Applied Sciences. The trained chemist and mathematician was…

In collaboration with researchers from the University of Tübingen scientists from the Tübingen-based biotechnology company Novis GmbH have now evaluated a biological leaching method that can be used to recycle valuable resources from incineration slag using bacteria. Funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment Climate Protection and the Energy Sector the experts from Tübingen are studying the possibility of using this method in…

The performance and application range of biobased lubricants is growing ever broader. Several biolubricants have been placed on the market, including plant-oil based products and synthetic plant-based lubricants. In this article, Rolf Luther from FUCHS EUROPE SCHMIERSTOFFE GmbH in Mannheim talks about the technical properties and potential application areas of biolubricants, some of which have been shown to be superior to conventional crude…

Article - 22/09/2014

Heike Frühwirth brings engineering methods into the hype about algae

Heike Frühwirth is not terribly taken by the euphoria surrounding the potential of algae. She knows better as she has become aware of the potential pitfalls from her own personal experience. Frühwirth was born in the Austrian city of Graz where she also studied process engineering. She has been in charge of process engineering under the industrial biotechnology study programme at Biberach University of Applied Sciences since 2012. She specializes…

Article - 01/09/2014

BARK CLOTH_europe – success through saving resources

Ecological, economical and socially sustainable - all apply to a company called BARK CLOTH_europe, which in 2013 was one of 10 companies recognised as fabric innovators by the 'LAUNCH System Challenge: Fabric'. With its biomaterial made from the bark of the African Ficus tree, the company sells an innovative material that is produced using traditional methods.

Article - 14/04/2014

WEHRLE Umwelt GmbH: Smart process water treatment reduces operating costs

Reducing energy consumption by 8,000 kWh and being able to generate 15,000 kWh of electrical power per day can save 500,000 euros operating costs in a year, as a project carried out by WEHRLE Umwelt GmbH on behalf of a pharmaceutical company found. WEHRLE Umwelt has been working with environmental technologies for over 30 years, principally focussing on plants for industrial wastewater treatment. The company offers intelligent solutions that are…

Most developed countries are “throwaway societies”, i.e. societies where people simply throw away defective articles and purchase new ones. However, our resources are finite. This is not only true for oil but also for many other raw materials such as precious metals or rare earths. Scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart are working with researchers from other Fraunhofer institutes…

Article - 03/02/2014

Recovering phosphorus from compost, manure and other waste residues

Phosphorus is essential for life on Earth all organisms need the element for growth. The principal application of phosphorus is in fertilisers. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB are currently developing a method to recover organic phosphorus from fermentation residues and agricultural residues such as manure. The IGB researchers hope to recover up to 90 percent of the organically bound…

Dossier - 16/12/2013

Microbial raw material recycling

While the use of biotechnological methods for the purification of water, soil and air has already been state of the art for quite a few years, the use of microorganisms for the recovery of metal and mineral raw materials from industrial and agricultural waste has also started to attract the interest of scientists. This dossier addresses this topic, explains what geobiotechnology and urban mining are all about and presents some of the activities…

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.

Article - 11/11/2013

Pesticides and their effect on the environment

Ecotoxicologists from Tübingen are calling for new interdisciplinary approaches in order to improve investigations into the effect of pesticides on the living environment. They expect that a more effective and more frequent combination of field work and laboratory analyses will provide them with a clearer picture of the overall situation. This knowledge will enable all stakeholders involved in solving environmental issues to draw the right…

Article - 28/10/2013

University of Hohenheim – a strong commitment to the bioeconomy

The bioeconomy is not only a major social challenge. It is also a complex thematic area that covers many scientific fields. The University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart has just published a strategy paper with the bioeconomy as a core topic of its research activities. Heike Laue talked with the universitys rector Prof. Dr. Stephan Dabbert about the paper.

Article - 12/08/2013

Baden-Württemberg – strategies for the future of biodiversity conservation

The alarming decline in animal and plant species stands more chance to be stopped by action on local and regional levels than through global conventions. Research and action programmes by German federal and state governments can help preserve biodiversity in Baden-Württemberg.

Article - 15/07/2013

The many facets of biological diversity

A Biodiversity Research Centre has been established in Heidelberg in order to explore the spatio-temporal development of biological diversity and its interaction with constantly changing environmental factors. The centre, in which the Botanic Garden of the University of Heidelberg with its plant inventory and collections also participates, involves scientists from a broad range of different disciplines. Projects range from basic research to…