19 March 202517 March 2025 Enzymes and metal unlock plant feedstock in Solugen’s Bioforge Solugen’s major innovation is a manufacturing tool named Bioforge that blends metal catalysts with enzymes to produce industrial chemicals from plants. We profile the company from its beginnings
3 March 202527 February 2025 Superglue Made from the Body’s Own Mucus Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Freie Universität Berlin combined a mixture of mucilaginous and sticky proteins to produce an adhesive for biomedical applications
Ein Superkleber aus körpereigenem Schleim Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler des Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in den USA und der Freien Universität Berlin kombinierten eine Mischung aus schleimigen und klebrigen Proteinen
3 February 202528 January 2025 Partial versus real solutions ‘Band-aid’ versus ‘bona fide’ or disruptive solutions for problems take place in four sectors of global economy simultaneously: energy, transport, food and labour
13 January 20258 January 2025 Turning automotive engines into modular chemical plants to make green fuels The MIT spinout Emvolon is placing its repurposed engines next to methane sources, to generate greener methanol and other chemicals
Neue Technologie: Alte Automotoren verwandeln Methan in grünen Treibstoff Aus dem MIT hervor gegangenes Start-up Emvolon macht aus herkömmlichen Automotoren kleine, mobile Chemieanlagen, die Methan direkt vor Ort in nachhaltigen Treibstoff umwandeln
9 January 20256 January 2025 The PFAS problem In the US, an estimated 98 per cent of people have detectable levels of PFAS in their blood, a pattern replicated around the world
17 December 202411 December 2024 A new catalyst can turn methane into something useful MIT chemical engineers have devised a way to capture methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and convert it into polymers
Neuer Katalysator kann Methan in etwas Nützliches verwandeln Chemieingenieure des MIT haben einen Weg gefunden, Methan abzuscheiden und in Polymere umzuwandeln
5 December 20242 December 2024 How AI is helping discover new biomaterials AI has already become a key part of generating new sustainable and renewable materials
28 November 202425 November 2024 The fungi and microbes that break down forever chemicals Emerging biobased techniques could offer new tools without the disadvantages of traditional methods
24 July 202423 July 2024 Advancing Circular Bioeconomy with Biomass Feedstocks The Virtual Institute on Feedstocks of the Future or VIFF is a partnership between Schmidt Sciences and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), to enhance collaboration across scientific and technological disciplines
4 December 202327 November 2023 Engineers develop an efficient process to make fuel from carbon dioxide The approach from MIT and Harvard researchers directly converts the greenhouse gas into formate, a solid fuel that can be stored indefinitely and could be used to heat homes or power industries
Formiat statt Wasserstoff: Fester Brennstoff aus CO₂ MIT- und Harvard-Forschende stellen Salze der Ameisensäure aus Kohlendioxid her. Die Effizienz des neuen Verfahrens: rekordverdächtig
16 November 202313 November 2023 MIT design would harness 40 percent of the sun’s heat to produce clean hydrogen fuel Conventional systems for producing hydrogen depend on fossil fuels, but the new system uses only solar energy
Thermochemischer Wasserstoff: Solar-Reaktor soll umweltfreundlichen Treibstoff herstellen Solarer thermochemischer Wasserstoff (STCH) ist eine völlig emissionsfreie Alternative, da er ausschließlich aus erneuerbarer Sonnenenergie erzeugt wird
5 October 20232 October 2023 Scientists Use Bacteria to Turn Plastic Into Useful Substances James Collins from MIT and Ting Lu with the University of Illinois described in a study how to turn plasticwaste into useful products
4 October 202327 September 2023 Making aviation fuel from biomass MIT researchers are converting the plant material lignin into hydrocarbon molecules that could help make jet fuel 100 percent sustainable
11 September 20236 September 2023 A new way to capture and recycle carbon dioxide from industrial emissions Carbon capture could itself be electrified by using electrochemical cells, and these devices could be powered by renewable energy sources
30 August 202328 August 2023 Lignin Conversion Could Make Jet Fuel 100% Sustainable In 2021, nearly a quarter of the world's carbon dioxide emissions came from the transportation sector, with aviation being a significant contributor
13 March 20238 March 2023 Vergesst die Luft! Holt das CO₂ aus dem Meer – meinen Forscher Kohlenstoffdioxid aus den Ozeanen zu entfernen, könnte effektiver und billiger sein, als aus der Luft
27 February 202322 February 2023 How to pull carbon dioxide out of seawater A new method for removing the greenhouse gas from the ocean could be far more efficient than existing systems for removing it from the air
13 December 20227 December 2022 How chemists are tackling the plastics problem New research could help turn a mix of plastic waste into new products
Effizienteres Recycling: Wie aus Kunststoff-Mischungen Propan gewonnen wird Das Recycling von Plastik ist immer noch ein Problem. Ein neues Verfahren könnte aber dazu beitragen, Plastikabfälle in neue Produkte zu verwandeln
14 November 20229 November 2022 Oregon State, U.S. Dept. of Energy researchers take key step toward big gains in plastics recycling A collaboration led by NREL combined chemical and biological processes in a proof of concept and used chemical oxidation to break down a variety of plastic types
11 November 202211 November 2022 Catalytic Process With Lignin Could Enable 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel NREL, MIT, Washington State University Collaboration Provides Pathway to Sustainable Jet Fuel
27 October 202224 October 2022 How are Bioplastics Made? The IUPAC actually discourages the use of the term “bioplastic,” instead recommending scientists use the expression “biobased polymer”
18 October 202217 October 2022 New process could enable more efficient plastics recycling Cobalt-based catalysts could be used to turn mixed plastic waste into fuel, new plastics, and other products
6 September 202222 August 2022 Sustainable Oils, Inc. Signs License Agreement for CRISPR-Cas9 Genome-Editing Technology with the Broad Institute and Corteva Agriscience Sustainable Oils to develop camelina varieties via gene editing
17 August 202211 August 2022 Could modified rail cars capture CO2 from the air? This team says “Yes” and they even have a plan to bring it to scale...
Modifizierte Schienenfahrzeuge reinigen die Luft von CO2 Bahnsysteme auf der ganzen Welt könnten dazu beitragen, den Klimawandel abzuschwächen und die Luft von CO2 zu reinigen
5 August 20223 August 2022 Turning carbon dioxide into valuable products DNA can help guide the process
1 August 202227 July 2022 Silk offers an alternative to some microplastics A team of scientists at MIT and elsewhere has developed a system based on silk that could provide an inexpensive and easily manufactured substitute
8 June 202214 October 2022 Toward customizable timber, grown in a lab Researchers show they can control the properties of lab-grown plant material, which could enable the production of wood products with little waste
13 April 20228 April 2022 A better way to separate gases A new membrane material could make purification of gases significantly more efficient, potentially helping to reduce carbon emissions
23 March 202218 March 2022 Amazon forscht an biologisch abbaubarem Plastik Der Online-Riese Amazon ist dem Bottle-Konsortium beigetreten und beteiligt sich damit an Forschungen zum chemischen Recycling sowie der Entwicklung umweltfreundlicher biologisch abbaubarer Kunststoffe
21 February 202214 February 2022 New plant-derived composite is tough as bone and hard as aluminum The material could pave the way for sustainable plastics
24 January 202219 January 2022 Overcoming a bottleneck in carbon dioxide conversion Study reveals why some attempts to convert the greenhouse gas into fuel have failed, and offers possible solutions
30 November 202125 November 2021 Sustainable feedstock for an ethical fashion industry Despite other issues, manufacturers see a clear route to better environmental performance in cellulose-based textiles
6 July 20219 September 2021 Researchers give yeast a boost to make biofuels from discarded plant matter Breaking down these tough casings and disassembling the sugar chains results in a chemical mixture that is challenging for traditional fermentation microorganisms to digest
8 April 202118 June 2021 MIT engineers make filters from tree branches to purify drinking water Prototypes tested in India show promise as a low-cost, natural filtration option
23 March 20219 September 2021 Could we recycle plastic bags into fabrics of the future? Engineers have developed self-cooling fabrics from polyethylene, a material commonly used in plastic bags
23 February 202118 February 2021 Durchsichtiges Holz: Forscher entwickeln alternativen Baustoff für Innenräume Mit Chemikalien kann das Lignin des Holzes in einem aufwändigen und energieintensiven Prozess aus dünnen Holzschichten gewaschen werden
12 February 20219 February 2021 Could lab-grown plant tissue ease the environmental toll of logging and agriculture? MIT researchers grow structures made of wood-like plant cells in a lab, hinting at the possibility of more efficient biomaterials production
20 January 202127 April 2022 Inspired by kombucha tea, engineers create “living materials” A symbiotic culture of specialized yeast and bacteria can generate tough materials able to perform a variety of functions
13 March 202010 March 2020 Smart, compostable thin film packaging material New biobased films from the start-up Primitives provide an oxygen barrier that outperforms petroleum-based LDPE by over 4 times, as well as bioplastic films
27 February 202022 February 2020 Engineered yeast can remove heavy metals from wastewater Easy storage and rapid growth could see yeast compete with bacterial and chemical remediation
18 November 201913 November 2019 Studentisches Team der TU Kaiserslautern punktet bei internationalem Wettbewerb Kaiserslauterner Forscher entwickeln Plastik zersetzende Grünalge, mittels derer ein geschlossenes, umwelfreundliches Recyclingsystem entstehen kann
14 November 201912 November 2019 Honey Without Bees The synthetic honey is produced by the bacterium Bacillus subtilis, which “learns” to produce the honey following reprogramming in the lab
8 November 20199 September 2021 Neue Batterie absorbiert beim Laden CO2 aus der Luft Weil die Methode unter jeglicher CO2-Konzentration funktioniert, sehen die Entwickler mögliche Einsatzszenarien in der Filterung von Kraftwerks- und Industrieabgasen
