Nature based

Phytotechnology

Phytotechnology describes the application of plant-related science and engineering to study problems and provide solutions for technical and socio-ecological challenges. As a subfield of ecotechnology it emphasizes the use of distinct plant-inherent processes within technical applications. These nature-based technologies have become alternatives to conventional technologies due to low capital cost... Read more

Phytochemistry

Already since our predecessors, the alchemists, we know that plants can serve in many different applications. The term phytochemistry means chemistry of plants, which is a branch of chemistry and botany and is concerned with the chemical compounds and processes in plants. Compounds produced during the lifecycle of a plant can be divided into primary and secondary metabolites. Primary metabolites... Read more

Biobased Industry

The biobased industry should be able to replace petrol-based industry in the upcoming years. Therefore, a set of different steps are necessary, which start with apropriate legislation, go through logistics and also need technological progress. One important puzzle stone in this context is the development of biorefineries, which need to cope with multiple biomass feedstocks.... Read more

Biocascading

Prolonging VAlue Chains The idea of generating valuable substances from products that supposedly reached the end of their life-cycle is not new. However, industry suppressed it for many years, as the maxim of profit maximisation has lived regardless on losses of biodiversity and whole ecosystems. Attempts to counteract start to happen again in the last years. The core idea is to see each plant... Read more

Bioplastics

Biobased Plastics regrow year after year Around 200 million tons of petroleum-based plastic are produced every year, of which about 10 % ends up in the sea as giant sea swirls.The exact extent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), the Continent of Garbage in the North Pacific, is not yet known. Researchers estimate one million floating plastic particles, weighing a total of 100 million... Read more

Biomimicry
alcn leaf

NATURE-INSPIRED SYSTEMS The term Biomimicry refers to the words bios (life) and mimesis (imitate). The idea of this new science is to use processes, forms and strategies from nature as a model in order to find solutions to human challenges . It is important to not only copy nature, but to understand the processes going on and then use this awareness accordingly. The question still remains,... Read more

Cosmetics & Nutrition

In the field of innovative phytochemistry, the development of cosmetics is an important part. Many ingredients in plants or residue streams from the plant processing industry can be used for effective cosmetics. The range here seems endless, dyes and important tricks to stabilize them, many natural fragrances, preservatives, ingredients against skin aging or skin tightening, to cracking and... Read more