Bioeconomy

Renewable raw materials and the circular economy in the textile industry - 08/12/2021

Outdoor equipment made from cellulose, castor oil and coffee grounds - functional and durable

VAUDE develops outdoor gear made from natural or recycled materials that are harmless to people and the environment while protecting against the wind and rain. The company relies on renewable raw materials, biobased plastics and the circular economy.

Alpha-Protein GmbH - 27/07/2021

Insect farming for sustainability

Mealworms instead of fish meal and soybean meal - this is what the sustainable future of feed production looks like as Alpha-Protein GmbH see it. The company has built a highly efficient automated production plant in which residual materials from local food production are used to breed mealworms.

Zero Bullshit Company - 31/05/2021

From being thrown away to becoming a recycled product - Stuttgart start-up produces healthy snacks

Throwing away food? The Stuttgart-based start-up Zero Bullshit Company is declaring war on food wastage by making nutrient-rich products largely from food industry leftovers. The three food technologists who created this transparent brand are looking to develop more than just delicious and nutritious products.

New biomaterials developed at the University of Bayreuth eliminate risk of infection and facilitate healing processes. These nanostructured materials are based on spider silk proteins. They prevent colonization by bacteria and fungi, but at the same time proactively assist in the regeneration of human tissue. They are therefore ideal for implants, wound dressings, prostheses, contact lenses, and other everyday aids.

What alternatives to conventional agriculture exist to produce carbohydrates for food and feed? Scientists at Heidelberg University performed model calculations for artificial sugar production with a view towards synthesis of other carbohydrates such as starch.

Qualitative soil fertiliser - 10/07/2020

How natural cycles can be closed with wood ash

Recycled material instead of waste: wood ash is good for soil and plants - if the quality is right. The German Federal Quality Association for Food Ash ensures reliable wood ash standards with its certifications. The RAL-Dünger label for fertilisers provides the necessary certification for natural wood ashes to be used in the circular economy.

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.

The “Rhizo-Lentil" EIP-AGRI project - 20/05/2020

NovoCarbo turns plant waste into biochar

NovoCarbo GmbH produces biochar from plant residues such as wood chips, nutshells and manure. Different feedstocks, and the way these materials are processed, create biochars with different properties. This makes biochar suitable for different uses, including as a soil conditioner, in biogas plants or as bedding for stables and cowsheds. The Rhizo-Linse project is currently investigating whether biochar is also suitable as inoculant carrier for…

The “Rhizo-Lentil" EIP-AGRI project - 03/03/2020

University of Hohenheim wants to improve the conditions for lentil cultivation

Lentils were once considered poor man’s food, but in Germany demand for them has never been greater. And to satisfy this growing demand, more lentils need to be cultivated. This is why the University of Hohenheim is involved in the EIP-AGRI "Rhizo-Linse" project. The aim of the project is to find rhizobia strains that go well with lentil plants to increase yield and improve quality.

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.

The "Protein Initiative” and the “Rhizo-Lentil" EIP-AGRI project - 31/01/2020

LTZ Augustenberg promotes regional protein production

In future, more lentils, soybeans, peas, field beans and lupins will be grown again in Baden-Württemberg farms. This is what Dr. Carola Blessing from the Agricultural Technology Center (LTZ) Augustenberg is working on. It therefore became clear very quickly that the LTZ Augustenberg needed to get involved in the "Rhizo-Linse" project that aims to further develop lentil cultivation.

Dossier - 15/04/2019

The alternative: “bioplastics”

Plastic waste takes years to decompose and pollutes the environment. Nevertheless, plastics are an indispensable part of everyday life. It is therefore all the more important to find a meaningful alternative that is sustainable, environmentally friendly and has better properties and more functionality than conventional plastics. In addition, such an alternative should not be dependent in any way on fossil resources.

Diversity increases yield - 13/03/2017

The bioeconomy offers opportunities for Baden-Württemberg’s forests

Wood from local forests is an important resource for the bioeconomy. However at present, a large amount of wood is used as fuel for energy production. Greater forest diversity and new wood-based materials have the potential to make the timber industry more sustainable. The bioeconomy can contribute to this by promoting the utilisation of deciduous trees.

Press release - 27/02/2017

BIOPRO – lead partner in consortium aimed at cross clustering in the Danube region

The Interreg Danube Translational Programme’s ”DanuBioValNet” project aims to establish new biobased value chains. Under the leadership of BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH, 17 partners from the Danube region met on 1st January 2017 to pave the ground for transnational collaboration in the biobased industry. Regional cluster organisations are expected to drive the change from a fossil fuel-based industry to a biobased industry forward and will be…

Article - 07/02/2017

Agroforestry for sustainable agriculture

Agroforestry systems can provide effective protection against soil erosion caused by wind and water. They can also contribute to stabilising and improving the yield of annual plants. In addition, strips in fields planted with shrubs and trees form living spaces and areas to which plants and animals can retreat. In the AUFWERTEN innovation group, the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO is working with other German research…

Article - 12/09/2016

Valuable new biopolymers from crustacean shells

In the EU alone, more than 250,000 tons of seashell waste are discarded every year. The exoskeleton of crustaceans consists of proteins, calcium carbonate and chitin, a long-chain sugar molecule which could be used to produce valuable building blocks for the polymer industry. Scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB) in Stuttgart have developed a biotechnological process aimed at a sustainable…

Article - 25/04/2016

The aluminium trees of Sulawesi

Trees of the genus Symplocos in the Indonesian mountain rainforest store so much aluminium in their leaves that it can be used for dyeing textiles. A research project at the University of Ulm aims to preserve the traditional dyeing methods of Indonesian weavers, protect these rare trees and increase our knowledge of aluminium-accumulating plants.

Bionics - 14/12/2015

Architecture meets biology – biological functional principles for the construction sector

What has emerged in nature in the course of evolution can now be used to break new ground in architecture thanks to computer-based simulations and manufacturing techniques. As part of a transregional collaborative research centre, German researchers have started to use this bionics approach to explore new designs and functional innovations.

Article - 23/03/2015

Crowdfunding: a new source of money for the healthcare sector?

Crowdfunding has become a popular widely-talked-about financing tool that opens up new ways of acquiring money for projects that might not otherwise receive backing. The financing model is based on the simple idea of raising many small amounts of capital to finance a large project. In early 2015 a company called Riboxx secured the capital it needed through a campaign on the Seedmatch crowdfunding platform. The German company aescuvest GmbH…

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…

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 - 21/10/2013

Land use – balance between societal demands and environmental protection

The conversion of undeveloped land into residential areas and roads in Baden-Württemberg has in fact fallen by fifty percent in the past ten years, but there is still a long way to go before land management becomes sustainable. Detailed studies on the changing conditions of land use are necessary in order to develop practical concepts for environmentally compatible planning.

Dossier - 25/03/2013

Biotechnology goes automated

Processes that previously required pipetting analysis and production to be carried out manually are increasingly now controlled by automated systems. However this has not necessarily involved a complete reinvention of the wheel instead automation systems used in the plant construction and mechanical engineering sectors are being adapted and optimised for application in the life sciences.

Article - 18/02/2013

Biotechnology in Biberach: a success story that breaks new ground

At its New Year reception Biberach University of Applied Sciences outlined the universitys success the establishment of its biotechnology programme is going smoothly and student interest remains steady. Biberach also has a successful track record of acquiring third-party funding and has established new national and international cooperations.