Press release - 06/04/2021 Showcase Bioeconomy: Industrial crops make unproductive farmland profitable European project with participation of the University of Hohenheim investigates how unprofitable fields can be used sustainably while adding value with renewable raw materials.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/schaufenster-biooekonomie-industriepflanzen-machen-unproduktives-ackerland-rentabel
Press release - 01/03/2021 Vegetable proteins replace petroleum-based raw materials Just like cellulose, lignin and fats, proteins are renewable raw materials. Their potential for the chemical industry remains largely untapped. Research teams at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV are collaborating with partners to change all this, the idea being to use the promising technofunctional properties of vegetable proteins for industrial applications. The aim of the TeFuProt project is to shift away from…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/vegetable-proteins-replace-petroleum-based-raw-materials
Article - 14/09/2015 Producing chemicals sustainably using microalgae Many chemicals in lubricants and washing powder are produced from fossil fuel. However, as fossil fuel is limited and reserves are slowly but surely running out, finding suitable substitutes is essential. This is the only way to ensure that much needed working materials continue to be available in the future. Sandra Heß from the University of Konstanz is involved in an interdisciplinary PhD project that explores the production of plastics,…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/producing-chemicals-sustainably-using-microalgae
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.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/environmental-analytics
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.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/materials
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…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/bioenergy
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…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/politics
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,…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/biobased-resources
Article - 27/10/2014 Proteins for technical applications The aim of the Technofunctional Proteins (TeFuProt) innovation alliance is to develop in an environmentally compatible way new products with high earnings potential by using proteins from agricultural residues. As part of the alliance, the lubricant company FUCHS EUROPE SCHMIERSTOFFE GmbH from Mannheim will add modified rapeseed proteins as non-toxic additives to its product portfolio. The use of proteins from renewable raw materials contributes…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/proteins-for-technical-applications
Article - 06/10/2014 Biobased lubricants with convincing technical properties 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…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/biobased-lubricants-with-convincing-technical-properties
Article - 25/08/2014 Production of synthetic polymers from algae oil Algae are rich in valuable substances and can be grown easily, which makes them promising candidates for the sustainable production of raw materials. The work done by Prof. Dr. Stefan Mecking at the University of Konstanz in cooperation with plant physiologist Prof. Dr. Peter Kroth, confirms this. The two scientists have developed a method to transform algae oil into high-quality chemical raw materials which can, amongst other things, be used for…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/production-of-synthetic-polymers-from-algae-oil
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. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/k-labor-gmbh-a-specialist-in-material-analysis-and-characterisation
Article - 15/11/2010 Chemie-Technik GmbH – “A company needs to grow dynamically” High-performance lubricants are used in a broad range of different industrial applications. Chemie-Technik GmbH supplies numerous industrial sectors around the world with lubricants oils greases and sprays. In the coming years the company plans to focus increasingly on the use of renewable resources for the production of lubricants. The company always places a great deal of importance on producing high-quality products.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/chemie-technik-gmbh-a-company-needs-to-grow-dynamically