Bioeconomy

Press release - 03/02/2011

BASF starts operations at expanded Ecoflex plant

The production capacity for biodegradable plastics of BASF SE increases by 60,000 metric tons per year. BASF expects significant market growth for biodegradable plastics through 2020.

Article - 06/12/2010

Bioplastics – materials that have the potential to be used in medical technology

At the recent International Symposium on Biopolymers ISBP in Stuttgart scientists discussed the use of biobased plastics for applications in the field of medical technology. The majority of strategies presented at the symposium will only be ready for market in a few years time. However they give an idea as to why bioplastics are likely to be applied to a greater extent in the field of medical technology.

Article - 25/10/2010

Industrial biopolymers – between children’s shoes and seven-league boots

The International Symposium on Biopolymers was held in Stuttgart between 4th and 7th October 2010. The event organisers also held a special focus day on industrial applications as suggested by BIOPRO. The conclusions drawn from the Industry Day can be summarised as follows methods are becoming increasingly mature production capacities are growing and the price of biobased polymers and bulk chemicals are becoming more attractive. However many…

Article - 22/10/2010

Christian Bonten focuses mainly on bioplastics

Prof. Dr. Christian Bonten has been head of the Institute for Polymer Technology IKT at the University of Stuttgart since 1st September 2010. The former Institute for Plastics Testing and Science has recently become part of the IKT and has therefore come under Bontens area of responsibility. Bonton believes that bioplastics have great future potential and he plans to set milestones to drive bioplastics development forward.

Dossier - 18/10/2010

New machines for the life sciences

Hardware and software applications have become an integral part of the everyday life of life sciences researchers, developers and service providers. It is impossible to imagine life science applications without effective hardware and software applications – from computer-assisted drug screening to the automatic production of biosensors for rapid, mobile, purse-size bacterial test devices. Trends such as automation and miniaturisation lead to ever…

Article - 11/10/2010

University of Konstanz – crystallinity is key

Renewable resources not only provide the field of biotechnology with interesting possibilities for the development of new materials. Scientists from the Department of Chemical Material Science at the University of Konstanz have now succeeded in chemically synthesising a new type of plastic from plant oils.

Article - 27/09/2010

Fraunhofer ICT – from biomass to technical materials

The Pfinztal-based Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology investigates and develops innovative technical materials on the basis of biobased thermoplasts and furanic resin. Innovative companies in the consumer goods, packaging and transport industries are extremely interested in such products.

Article - 20/09/2010

mayer-THERMOPLASTE GmbH – technically sophisticated production

mayer-THERMOPLASTE GmbH is a specialist in high-quality plastics injection moulding. The company’s flexible organisation of production enables it to react quickly to customer requirements. Based on the idea of using biomaterials for injection moulding, the company’s managing directors, Dirk Elger and Günter Lachnit, are currently planning to become involved in production using sustainable plastics.

Article - 10/07/2010

WEE-Solve GmbH – removing troublemakers

The purification and fractionation of polymers using innovative methods is of huge importance in many areas, including pharmacy and cosmetics. This is due to the fact that some polymers can only exert their full effect after fractionation. WEE-Solve GmbH offers innovative methods and scientific experience in polymer fractionation and rheology.

Article - 03/07/2010

"Biodegradability needs to have an additional benefit"

Dr. Michael Thielen had worked in the plastics industry for many years before he entered the realms of journalism in 2006 the year in which he created the Bioplastics Magazine the only worldwide journal that focuses exclusively on bioplastics. In an interview with Christoph Bächtle Thielen spoke about polylactide biodegradability the properties of bioplastics and their role in comparison with traditional petrol-based plastics.

Press release - 30/05/2010

Loss-free plastics production from plant oil

At present plastics are produced from crude oil or gas. The research group of Professor Dr. Stefan Mecking chair of chemical materials sciences at the University of Constance has found a way to produce plastics from plant oil a regenerative resource.

Press release - 24/05/2010

University of Stuttgart – biopolymers as construction material of the future?

The Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart is investigating whether it is possible to replace traditional plastics in the building industry with natural fibre-reinforced biopolymers. As part of the project, which is being funded by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, the ITKE researchers are working with the Nimbus Group to develop transparent lightweight building boards from biopolymers with…

Article - 03/05/2010

In order to innovate, we must come down from the ivory tower

At talks given at the recent Biotechnology Days in Berlin representatives of a number of different BMBF-funded clusters showed that numerous strategies to enable the industrial production of biopolymers and biomaterials from resources other than oil are now available.

Article - 10/04/2010

“We need to tap alternative energy sources”

Prof. Dr. Christoph Wittmann from the TU Braunschweig is a partner in the BiopolymersBiomaterials cluster. He is developing mathematical models of metabolic processes to optimise microorganisms for use in biotechnology. In an interview with Christoph Bächtle Wittmann talks about systems biology drawing-board organisms biobased plastics and biotechnologys capacity to complement existing large-scale methods.

Press release - 01/03/2010

fischer group of companies – innovation in plastics technology

The fischer group of companies is treading an innovative path in the field of plastics technology. The new biopolyamide plug has the same values as the tried and tested product made of conventional nylon and it also takes the technology a step further towards sustainable fixing systems. The close cooperation between the cluster partners is what makes such developments possible.

Article - 14/12/2009

Marvel GmbH – ecological materials with a sophisticated design

Marvel GmbH, based in Bad Teinach, has set itself the goal of combining innovative materials with sophisticated design and where safety, fire protection and acoustic properties go hand in hand with attractiveness, high-quality design and sustainability. The company uses its own innovative biomaterial called “Marvel Bioresin”.

Article - 30/11/2009

well ausstellungssystem GmbH – promoting the use of sustainable wooden materials

Hanover-based well Ausstellungssystem GmbH sells environmentally-friendly wooden materials for furniture and booth construction, interior and product design and promotes its new wooden sheeting kraftplex® for use in high-tech innovations. Wellboard, the wooden composite in waves, is already being used in theatres, shop windows and museums.

Article - 12/10/2009

Brückner – Global market leader in film stretching technology

Brückner Maschinenbau has been doing pioneering work in film stretching technology for around 50 years. With a market share of over 50%, Brückner is the worldwide leader in this area. About 600 Brückner lines are used all over the world. All the major international film producers in Europe, USA, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia appear in the company’s customer list.

Article - 24/09/2009

Bacteria to produce bioplastics

Polyhydroxyalkanoates are storage substances produced and stored by many cells plants and bacteria only in times when they lack lack important nutrients. A particular property of these plastics-related biopolymers is that their composition and hence their material properties can be regulated by the fermentation process.

Dossier - 18/09/2009

From plants to plastics

In these times of changing climate sustainable thinking and the growing desire to become less dependent on crude oil the interest in biobased plastics is growing. Biobased plastics can be either entirely or partially produced from renewable resources using biotechnological methods.

Article - 01/09/2009

POLYFEA – a strong partner in compostable plastics

The company POLYFEA Polymer- und Produktentwicklung, based in the southern Black Forest (Germany), offers consulting for and contract development of polymer-based materials and products. Using the biodegradable material system CAPROWAX P, the company has successfully developed an innovative product.

Article - 01/07/2009

KIT - Competence in bioprocess engineering

The purification of microbially produced substances such as proteins and polysaccharides and their separation from or release from within the cell are complex tasks in the field of biotechnology. The Bioprocess Engineering department of the Institute of Process Engineering in the Life Sciences TH deals with the development of integrated bioprocesses and is also involved in the separation of biopolymers.

Article - 30/04/2009

Biopolymers/Biomaterials Cluster partners awarded two prizes

At the recent Hanover Trade Fair several partners in the BiopolymersBiomaterials Cluster were awarded prizes. A project group which includes scientists from BASF SE and Daimler AG were awarded the Prize for Innovative Material Applications from the VDI Society for Materials Engineering. The bio-based ARBOFORM plastic of TECNARO GmbH of Ilsfeld-Auenstein was awarded the Industry Award from the Huber Verlag für Neue Medien.

Article - 27/04/2009

Takata-Petri focuses on human safety

The dream that one day there will be zero victims due to traffic accidents was the reason the company Takata was initially set up. Takata has been focusing on saving human lives for over 75 years. The company is no longer exclusively active in safety technology but it now also develops plastics from renewable resources as the basis for the future production of own products. This it does in cooperation with other partners from research and…

Article - 22/04/2009

Nylon from the biotank

The project Bio-based polyamides through fermentation undertaken by members of the BiopolymersBiomaterials Cluster started in early 2009 and has the goal of using biotechnological methods to produce materials as the basis for polyamides with new properties.