-
-
-
-
Dossier - 17/11/2021
Sustainability is in vogue. And it’s not a question of wanting to be sustainable, but having to be: as the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows, protecting the climate and the environment calls for swift action. Biorefineries that use renewable raw materials and recycle industrial raw materials are playing an important role in the bioeconomy concepts of many countries - including the state of Baden-Württemberg.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/dossiers/biorefinery-new-paths-build-our-tomorrow
-
-
Compostable nappies - 14/10/2021
In an EU-funded project, the Tübingen-based biotech company Novis is working with international partners to develop a fully compostable nappy that contains no plastic parts. This could reduce the huge quantities of used disposable nappies that have been produced to date and the enormous costs of disposal, as well as avoiding the greenhouse gases produced when they are incinerated.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/nappies-sustainable-bioeconomy
-
-
-
Specialized in Sustainability - 30/09/2021
The research project RUN (Rural Urban Nutrient Partnership) explores how waste might be used more efficiently as a resource. In this project, Veronika Fendel investigates how recyclable materials from biowaste and domestic wastewater can be fed back into the material cycle in the best possible way.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/circular-economy-future
-
Start-up PROSERVATION - sustainable packaging - 21/09/2021
Expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging is very practical, but it is made from petroleum and is not very environmentally friendly in other ways either. Single-use plastic containers made of EPS have therefore been banned in the EU, but alternatives are also urgently needed. The Stuttgart-based start-up PROSERVATION has developed an ecological packaging material made from grain husks that could replace EPS and be just as effective.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/husk-substitute-polystyrene-packaging-materials-good-conscience
-
-
Reduction of greenhouse gases in wine production - 31/08/2021
In the EU project REDWine, the CO2 produced during wine fermentation is captured and used to produce algae biomass. Novis GmbH from Tübingen supplies the complete system for CO2 utilisation. The aim of the project is to reduce the share of global warming caused by wine production in a way that is economical for producers.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/redwine-project-and-climate-change
-
Press release - 30/08/2021
In August 2021, the BioMat Pavilion 2021 was inaugurated on the campus of the University of Stuttgart in a ceremonial setting and in compliance with the hygiene concept. The core of the elegantly curved lightweight construction is an active-bending structure made of natural fibers, reminiscent of bamboo. It was developed as part of the "LeichtPRO" research project.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/biegsam-wie-bambus-belastbar-und-leicht
-
-
Plastics from the field - 12/08/2021
Huge amounts of waste are produced both during food production and by consumers. The Conversion Technologies of Biobased Resources group at the University of Hohenheim’s Institute of Agricultural Engineering has developed a process to convert this biomass into hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), the highly potent basic chemical that is used to produce plastics.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/great-potential-biological-residues
-
-
Press release - 02/08/2021
Carbon dioxide is one of the main drivers of climate change – which means that we need to reduce CO2 emissions in the future. Fraunhofer researchers are highlighting a possible way to lower these emissions: They use the greenhouse gas as a raw material, for instance to produce plastics. To do this, they first produce methanol and formic acid from CO2, which they convert via microorganisms into building blocks for polymers and the like.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/co2-raw-material-plastics-and-other-products
-
Press release - 27/07/2021
The Hallertau is Germany's largest hop-growing region. During harvesting, hop bine chaff is left over, which is converted into environmentally friendly bio natural gas on site in a biogas plant. But that is not the end of the utilization chain for this fiber plant. Researchers at the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) have used the plant-containing biogas digestate to produce a composite material that can be…
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/furniture-biogas-plant
-
Alpha-Protein GmbH - 27/07/2021
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.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/insect-farming-sustainability
-
Press release - 09/07/2021
Refuels are renewable fuels that can be produced in different ways. When they are mixed and processed such that they meet the existing fuel standards, they are suited for all types of combustion engines. This is the result of the latest vehicle and fleet tests within the project “reFuels – Rethinking Fuels” at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Compared to fully fossil fuels, refuel mixes allow for a CO2 reduction by 25% at least. Moreover,…
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/refuels-are-suited-wide-use
-
Press release - 07/07/2021
The European Union is largely dependent on imports of white phosphorus (P4), a strategic raw material for the food and pharmaceutical industries. To tackle this challenge, the newly started four-year EU-funded project FlashPhos – led by the University of Stuttgart – will recover at a large scale high-quality white phosphorus and other raw materials using sewage sludge as input material.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/schatzsuche-im-klaerschlamm
-
Start-up kernique catch the zeitgeist - 29/06/2021
A delicious vegan nut snack that uses no sugar, artificial additives, gluten or palm oil, is full of essential nutrients, and is part of a commitment to environmental and social sustainability. Impossible? An Esslingen-based start-up called kernique proves otherwise. The start-up is currently planning a crowdfunding phase that offers a lucrative deal for investors. The idea catches the zeitgeist, but what exactly makes it stand out?
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/nut-snack-sustainable-ecological-concept
-
-
-
-
-
-
Press release - 27/05/2021
The pulp of coffee beans is considered a waste product on coffee plantations, which is usually thrown away or dumped into rivers - with significant negative consequences for climate change and the environment. Macarena San Martín-Ruiz from the University of Stuttgart is working with Coopetarrazú, the largest coffee cooperative in Costa Rica, to find out how the mixture of pulp and husks can be turned into organic compost and thus protect the…
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/coffee-s-pulp-waste-becomes-organic-compost
-
Press release - 18/05/2021
The Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) has signed the grant agreements with 18 new projects, selected for funding under the 2020 Call for proposals. 199 beneficiaries from 26 countries across the EU and beyond will receive BBI JU’s financial support worth €104.5 million. This is the seventh and last BBI JU call which will bring the total investment of the initiative to €821.6 million and the BBI JU’s portfolio to 142 projects.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/bbi-ju-invest-eur1045-million-circular-bio-based-projects
-
Press release - 03/05/2021
The amount of plastic waste increases every year. Some of this waste is due to plastic packaging used to protect food. As part of the “BioActiveMaterials” project, researchers at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft have developed an eco-friendly coating for paper packaging. With this, not only is plastic saved, but the coating of plant-based proteins and waxes also extends the shelf life of the food.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/bioactive-paper-coatings-replace-plastic-packaging-foods
-
-
-
-
-
Alternative source of protein - 07/04/2021
It is estimated that by 2050, if not before, the world's population will have grown so much that it will be difficult to provide adequate supplies of food for everyone. It is therefore high time to look for alternatives. One option could be insects as an environmentally friendly source of protein for humans and animals. The start-up company Cepri is developing smart insect farms with the goal to make primary production, which is not yet…
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/smart-insect-farms-sustainable-protein-sources-future
-
-
-
-
Paper technology - 10/03/2021
Plastic is indispensable: it is cheap and practical and found in many disposable products such as drinking straws, disposable tableware or even packaging like bonded beverage cartons or bags – and it has a disastrous effect on the environment. The start-up company Plafco Fibertech Oy has developed a sustainable plastic substitute made of paper that could replace many disposable plastic products in the future.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/plafco-sustainable-plastic-substitute-made-paper
-
-
Press release - 23/02/2021
The European Commission agreed on the successor of BBI JU – the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) in a legislative proposal adopted today. The new partnership between the EU and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) is expected to build on the success of BBI JU while stepping up its contribution to the EU’s climate targets, in line with the European Green Deal. The European Parliament and Council will now study the…
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/commission-gives-green-light-successor-bbi-ju
-
-
-
-
-
-
Paper production from plant fibres - 20/01/2021
Many consumers don't care about exactly how their paper packaging is made and what it is made of as long as it is "eco". But even producing recycled paper, trees need to be felled. An alternative could be paper made from cup plant. Together with partners, a company called Silphie Paper has developed concept for obtaining fibres for a new type of grass paper, while also producing heat, energy and nutrients for natural fertilisers.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/one-cycle-ecopaper-energy-and-fertiliser-made-silphium-perfoliatum
-
Press release - 04/01/2021
As healthy and tasty as mushrooms might be, they are good for much more than just the dinner plate. The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT has now teamed up with the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP to investigate the use of fungus-based materials for the fabrication of eco-friendly sound absorbers.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/pm/Fungus-as-a-sound-absorber
-
-
Development of biogenic packaging - 16/11/2020
Modern packaging often boils down to a tick list of biogenic origin and/or biodegradability. But comprehensive sustainable packaging concepts need more than just that. Perishable foods, for example, require special barrier properties. The Albstadt-Sigmaringen University of Applied Sciences is researching packaging concepts for their sustainability.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/sustainable-packaging-devil-detail
-
Dossier - 09/11/2020
What will the packaging of the future look like, and what will be required of it? Can packaging be biobased, recyclable, sustainable and economic? In Baden-Württemberg, there are various approaches to developing packaging with the above properties from various sources including agricultural residual and side streams as well as municipal waste.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/dossiers/packaging-future
-
-
-
-
The “Rhizo-Lentil" EIP-AGRI project - 20/05/2020
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…
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/novocarbo-turns-plant-waste-into-biochar
-
Dossier - 28/04/2020
Biomass from forestry and agriculture along with residues from industry and households can contribute to our energy and raw material shift. Sustainable, regenerative biomass-based energy can become part of the energy mix of the future within the framework of a bioeconomy.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/Sustainable-bioenergy
-
Urban agriculture - 23/04/2020
Given the challenges faced by modern agriculture, it is vital to raise people’s awareness of how to change their approach to food. The founders of the Stuttgart-based start-up company farmee GmbH see urban agriculture as the key to making this change possible. The company has developed “alphabeet”, an app designed to encourage consumers to produce their own food. After all, only those combining knowledge and practical experience can be expected…
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/alphabeet-the-green-fingered-smartphone
-
-
Polysecure GmbH - 16/01/2020
Plastics are harmful to the climate and human health both during manufacture and combustion and they also clutter our planet with garbage. Recycling is therefore a key issue, but it is not efficient. Polysecure has developed a process for permanently marking individual plastics that enables them to be separated efficiently and returned to a circular economy. This would counteract the vast amount of (micro) plastics and reduce CO₂ emissions.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/recycling-of-the-future-marked-plastic-as-a-circular-product
-
Producing valuable new products from waste materials - 07/01/2020
Eco-friendly and responsibly manufactured products are more in demand than ever before. Specific research is being carried out into materials and applications for a wide variety of uses. The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB is working with Hermetia Baruth GmbH on the vision of an insect biofactory that uses waste materials to produce a wide range of products such as biosurfactants, animal feed or foils.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/A-vision-insect-biorefineries-as-components-of-a-sustainable-bioeconomy
-
EIP-AGRI project coordination - 12/12/2019
Lentil plants, rarely cultivated in Central Europe in the twentieth century, are making a comeback. The "Rhizo-Linse"1 EIP-AGRI project aims to reintroduce old lentil varieties and make them appealing to farmers. A company called nadicom Gesellschaft für angewandte Mikrobiologie mbH is working on the development of an ecological product consisting of nodule bacteria that can improve lentil plant growth.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/nadicom-Rhizo-Linse-project-excellent-small-fertiliser-factories
-
CRISPR/Cas9 and genetic engineering laws - 27/11/2019
Plant geneticists from Tübingen have used genome deletion to breed a variety of tomato that is resistant to powdery mildew. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology that they used enabled them to achieve this in a relatively short period of time. They also demonstrated beyond any doubt that the new tomato variety contains no foreign DNA and is indistinguishable from naturally occurring deletion mutants.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/transgene-free-plant-breeding-using-genome-editing
-
Dossier - 15/11/2019
The negative image of plastic persists and is not getting any better in the face of the ongoing debate about microplastics which are basically everywhere. Plastic pollutes the environment. The globe is littered with huge quantities. We have to modify the production and utilisation of macroplastics as well as fundamentally rethink the way we dispose of them. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ mentality must become a thing of the past.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/dossiers/waste-valuable-resource-wrong-place
-
Article - 21/10/2019
Plastic plant pots are not good for the environment; strictly speaking, they should not even be disposed of in recycling bins. Alternatives such as coconut fibre pots are compostable, but not pollutant-free and not "bio" at all. The Karlsruhe-based company Fiber Engineering has developed a truly ecofriendly way to grow plants: pots made of hemp or grass, which are preserved with biological components and decompose completely within a…
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/pflanztoepfe-aus-naturfasern-bio-ohne-wenn-und-aber
-
-
-
-
Dossier - 15/04/2019
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.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/dossiers/the-alternative-bioplastics
-
Article - 02/04/2019
For many decades, glyphosate has been a common component of agricultural pesticides worldwide, although it is a controversial herbicide that may be harmful. The good news is that a more sustainable alternative is now in sight: researchers from the University of Tübingen have discovered a sugar molecule called 7-deoxy-sedoheptulose (7dSh) which inhibits the growth of plants and microorganisms, but appears to be completely harmless to human cells.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/simple-sugar-could-soon-compete-with-glyphosate
-
Article - 27/03/2019
Algae are frugal organisms. They require only light, water, minerals and carbon dioxide to be able to produce biomass. These properties will now be exploited economically in a two-year research project. Dr. Stefan Sebök from the University of Hamburg plans to study the holistic utilisation of degradation products of a biogas plant in Wallerstädten by linking them to land-based algae cultivation.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/residues-from-biogas-plants-as-feed-for-algae
-
-
Article - 12/03/2019
Carbon fibre is increasingly found in airplanes, cars and wind turbines. Carbon fibre is still made from oil and relatively expensive. However, this is soon to change. Researchers from the German Institutes of Textile and Fibre Research in Denkendorf (DITF) are working on the development of cost-effective carbon fibre made of lignin, a by-product of papermaking.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/news/biocarbon-fibres-made-of-lignin
-
Dossier - 04/03/2019
Baden-Württemberg is known for innovation in textiles and for playing a decisive role in the development of sustainable textiles for the future both in the clothing and the booming technical textile sectors. Companies and research institutes are focused on making the entire textile value chain from raw materials, production and useful life to disposal more sustainable than ever before.
https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/dossiers/sustainable-textiles
-
Website address: https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/search