Press release - 20/12/2022 Strong and biodegradable A polyester plastic of great mechanical stability, which is also easily recyclable and even compostable: Stefan Mecking, chemist at the University of Konstanz, and his research group present a new material.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/strong-and-biodegradable
Press release - 08/12/2022 Leibniz-Prize for Prof. Achim Menges The German Research Foundation (DFG) has awarded the 2023 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize to Prof. Achim Menges, head of the Institute for Computational Design and Construction at the University of Stuttgart. The award, which is endowed with EUR 2.5 million, is considered by many the most important research prize in Germany.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/leibniz-preis-fuer-prof-achim-menges
Press release - 21/10/2022 Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung supports research project on wood-based materials at the University of Freiburg The Carl Zeiss Foundation is funding the "DELIVER - Data-driven Engineering of Sustainable Living Materials" project at the University of Freiburg in its "CZS Wildcard" program. In the project, scientists from the Freiburg Clusters of Excellence CIBSS and livMatS will develop sustainable wood-based materials whose properties can be precisely controlled.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/carl-zeiss-stiftung-foerdert-forschungsvorhaben-der-universitaet-freiburg-zu-holzbasierten-werkstoffen
Press release - 10/10/2022 Recyclable food packaging: quality control for nanocoatings Across the EU, more than 300 billion items of packaging are not recycled every year because they consist of a mixture of different materials. Monomaterial packaging on the other hand is easy to recycle. However, it needs to be coated with ultra-thin barrier layers to protect delicate products just as well as compound materials do. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/recyclingfaehige-lebensmittelverpackungen-qualitaetskontrolle-von-nanobeschichtungen
Press release - 06/04/2022 High-tech bridge built with flax The University of Stuttgart is contributing to innovations for climate protection as part of the EU project "Smart Circular Bridge". An old material is being rediscovered: flax has been with us for thousands of years in the form of clothing, sacks, and robust ship's ropes. Now the plant fibres are experiencing a renaissance and could become the building material of the future. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/high-tech-bruecke-mit-flachs-gebaut
Natural fibers in use - 15/02/2022 Sustainable reinforcement of e-bike battery cases Ansmann AG from Assamstadt provides mobile energy solutions with a focus on sustainability. The BioBattery project, which was awarded the Baden-Württemberg Bioeconomy Innovation Prize, saw Ansmann AG working with the Fraunhofer LBF in Darmstadt to develop a natural fibre reinforced plastic composite for use in e-bike battery cases.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/sustainable-reinforcement-e-bike-battery-cases
Press release - 21/08/2020 From Biopaste to Bioplastic A viscous biopaste that is easy to process, solidifies quickly and is suitable for producing even complex structures using the 3D printing process has been developed by a research team headed by Prof. Dr. Marie-Pierre Laborie from the Chair of Forest Biomaterials at the University of Freiburg. The wood-based biodegradable synthetic could potentially be used in lightweight construction, amongst other things.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/biopaste-bioplastic
Press release - 27/07/2020 Self-healing soft material outsmarts nature A soft material that heals itself instantaneously is now reality.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/Self-healing-soft-material-outsmarts-nature
Article - 19/09/2019 Magnetised algae as microrobots for medical and environmental purposes Algae, for most of us, is something that lives in water courses that we occasionally find unpleasant. However, that is to do them a wrong. These extremely versatile and frugal organisms might in future prove to be extremely important. Scientists at the University of Stuttgart are investigating how algae can be used as microrobots in biomedicine and environmental remediation.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/magnetisierte-algen-als-mikroroboter-fuer-medizin-und-umwelt
Press release - 18/01/2018 Wood for clothing, reducing microplastics in our seas: VAUDE participates in the TextileMission research project Together with various partners from environmental associations, the scientific community and the textile industry, VAUDE has launched the TextileMission research project. The goal is to find solutions that will reduce the environmental impact of microplastics released when synthetic apparel is washed. VAUDE is excited about the initial successful developments. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/wood-for-clothing-reducing-microplastics-in-our-seas-vaude-participates-in-the-textilemission-research-project
Article - 15/01/2018 PULaCell: inspiring wood construction with biobased polyurethane The aim of the joint three-year "PULaCell" project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) is to develop biobased reinforcing profiles for solid wood construction materials. As part of the project, several research institutes and industrial companies are developing biobased, cellulose fibre-reinforced polyurethane profiles that will make future wood-based materials stronger. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/pulacell-inspiring-wood-construction-with-biobased-polyurethane
Article - 04/12/2017 Textiles: water-repellent thanks to fungal proteins Outdoor lovers and athletes love them: water-repellent jackets and trousers. However, many consumers are unaware that the chemicals used to functionalise the textile surface often pollute the environment. Organic fluorine compounds (perfluorocarbons = PFC) are usually added to textiles to make them water-repellent. Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB and the Hohenstein Group are researching an…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/textiles-water-repellent-thanks-to-fungal-proteins
Bioeconomy in construction and architecture - 25/10/2017 Development of innovative, ecological construction materials and methods at the University of Stuttgart The Baden-Württemberg construction sector is currently experiencing a similar boom to the one that occurred in 1996. Between January 2016 and January 2017, low interest rates and uninterrupted demand for housing has led to an increase in orders of almost 10%1. A shift from conventional building materials to biobased building materials and products would likely also support the transition to a bioeconomy in this economic sector. The Institute for…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/development-of-innovative-ecological-construction-materials-and-methods-at-the-university-of-stuttgart
Article - 29/09/2017 Building with bamboo and fungi – renewable buildings of the future Bamboo to replace steel and fungi to replace concrete: a research group at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is working on ways of using renewable raw materials in the construction industry. Biological building materials such as bamboo and fungal mycelium could one day replace conventional materials such as steel and concrete.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/building-with-bamboo-and-fungi-renewable-buildings-of-the-future
Article - 03/08/2017 PURCELL – cellulose to replace plastics Glass fibre-reinforced plastics have become an integral part of our everyday life: in cars, playground slides, swimming pools or on facades, such composites are used wherever stability is required. Unfortunately, both production and disposal are far from sustainable. Scientists from the German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf have now developed an innovative material made from pure cellulose, which has practically the same…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/purcell-cellulose-ersetzt-kunststoff
Applied research in the bioeconomy field - 19/06/2017 Biobased electrode materials for future energy storage systems Novel biomass materials suitable for various applications need to be developed in order to establish a biobased raw material platform within the bioeconomy. These biobased materials must be able to compete with conventional fossil fuel-based materials, both from a technological and economic point of view. Researchers at the University of Hohenheim are working on the development of conductive carbon materials from biomass with the long-term goal…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/biobased-electrode-materials-for-future-energy-storage-systems
Article - 28/03/2017 Biogranules for industrial foils and a new class of products Biogranules are a starting point for the production of a wide range of novel biobased materials: in a BMBF-funded project called ”EnzymaCell”, a company called TECNARO and its cooperation partners have developed thermoplastic biofoils. The innovative combination of cellulose and natural additives has led to a material with many application possibilities. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/biogranules-for-industrial-foils-and-a-new-class-of-products
Biobased materials used in the field of architecture - 05/12/2016 Straw replaces plastics – a material revolution Junior professor Dr.-Ing. Hanaa Dahy and her team from the ITKE in Stuttgart are developing everyday biobased materials that have a wide range of possible applications. The materials can be used for thermal insulation, designer furniture, yoga mats or resilient flooring in sports halls. The researchers use techniques from the plastics industry to process recyclable and compostable materials. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/straw-replaces-plastics-a-material-revolution
Article - 11/10/2016 Nanofur for cleaning up accidental oil spills in water Accidental oil spills such as those following oil disasters need to be cleaned up as quickly as possible. Researchers from the KIT in Karlsruhe have now developed an environmentally friendly process that can eliminate oil spills effectively. Nanofur is a material that imitates the fine hairs of aquatic ferns and is capable of absorbing large amounts of oil within a relatively short time.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/nanofur-for-cleaning-up-accidental-oil-spills-in-water
Article - 01/09/2016 Tailor-made biotech fibres for improved wound dressings Scientists have developed a biotechnological process to produce bacterial alginate. The alginate quality is highly reproducible, making it suitable for the production of fibre-based medicinal products such as wound dressings.https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/made-to-measure-biotech-fibres
Article - 09/05/2016 Biobattery made from unused and windfall apples The disadvantage of wind and solar energy is that they cannot be produced continuously nor can they be stored, at least not yet. High-performance batteries that can store intermittent renewable energy sources might change this in the future. Sodium-ion batteries would be both a cheap and environmentally friendly possibility. Prof. Dr. Stefano Passerini and his team at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a battery that…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/biobattery-made-from-unused-and-windfall-apples
Article - 07/03/2016 Bio-racing car as a prototype for the car of the future How “bio” can a car be? Quite a lot, as the Bioconcept car developed by Reutlingen-based Four Motors demonstrates. Former DTM driver Tom von Löwis and his team are currently working on a fourth-generation biofuel-powered Bioconcept car. The body parts and interior are made from fully or partially biobased materials and composites with plant-fibre reinforced duromers. The optimised combustion engines are powered with biofuels. Anyone who thinks…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/bio-racing-car-as-a-prototype-for-the-car-of-the-future
Article - 17/09/2012 Thomas Paulöhrl: spatially and temporally controlled light-induced reactions Thomas Paulöhrl, polymer chemist from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), was awarded the 2012 Lanxess Talent Award for his achievements in further developing light-induced click strategies that can now be used for generating various surface structures and three-dimensional frameworks. His Ph.D. thesis not only provides the basis for new ways to efficiently modify material, it also opens up new research opportunities in medical drug…https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/thomas-pauloehrl-spatially-and-temporally-controlled-light-induced-reactions
Article - 29/05/2012 Can artificial photosynthesis solve our energy and climate problems? In order to achieve the sought-after shift towards sustainable regenerative energy supply, researchers around the world are focusing on the conversion of solar energy into hydrogen and carbon compounds using artificial chemical systems. They aim to achieve much more efficient photosynthesis than plants have. Other scenarios foresee improving the energy balance of photosynthesis by modifying the photosynthesis system. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/can-artificial-photosynthesis-solve-our-energy-and-climate-problems