At a glance | Challenges | Solutions | Contact | Research Groups
At a glance
In the ‘Towards a Sustainable Bioeconomy’ topic, Jülich researchers search for ways to establish a circular economy based on natural resources. They develop new approaches in agriculture and investigate crops and soils, particularly in the context of ongoing climate change.
They also propose new solutions for the biotechnological production of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and proteins from renewable carbon sources, as well as for the provision of fibre-based materials for the textile, paper, and construction industries. In addition, Jülich experts design new strategies to limit the impact of existing environmental problems – such as global plastic pollution – and develop concepts and implementation routes for establishing the bioeconomy as a key concept for the transformation of entire regions.
Challenges
It is predicted that by 2050 there will be almost ten billion people living on Earth. In view of factors such as climate change, how will it be possible to provide the global population with enough food, energy, and raw materials in future? To prevent the Earth’s resources from being strained even further beyond their natural limits, a sustainable, bio-based circular economy is needed: the bioeconomy.
Solutions
Jülich teams investigate plants from the level of a single root to the entire plant stand, thus laying the foundations for optimizing plant production. In the Jülich Plant Phenotyping Center, they measure crops using high-throughput yet non-destructive methods. The results are incorporated into state-of-the-art breeding processes for new productive, adaptable species. The Jülich researchers analyse and interpret the large quantities of complex data produced using models and AI tools that are specifically developed for this task.
Another aspect the Jülich researchers focus on is the competition between energy crops and food crops for land and resources, as well as on minimizing the environmental impact of their cultivation. They also test alternative raw material sources such as algae or biogenic residues from industry, and investigate innovative plant production systems such as agrivoltaics.
Healthy soil is essential for productive plant growth. Using state-of-the-art laboratory and measuring techniques, comprehensive field studies, and model calculations, Jülich researchers examine how environmental changes affect the soil, its microbial life, and groundwater. An in-depth understanding of these processes helps to achieve a more sustainable use of natural resources such as soil, water, and the atmosphere. Jülich researchers use these findings to develop digital systems that can monitor the condition of soil and plants in the fields and optimize irrigation. An app developed at Jülich is now available to assist farmers with water management.
Microorganisms are the main players in carbon and nitrogen cycles on Earth. Their metabolic diversity and biocatalytic power are unrivalled. At Jülich, these capabilities are used to develop cell factories and enzymes that convert renewable raw materials and also plastic waste into chemicals, food and feed additives, and proteins. This concept provides solutions for the defossilization of the chemical industry and the development of a bio-based circular economy. An important tool in this area is the Jülich Biofoundry infrastructure, which accelerates development processes by means of automation, miniaturization, and digitization.
This work is supported by expertise and methods from the fields of bioinformatics, machine learning, and computer-assisted biophysics in the analysis and optimization of plants, microorganisms, and proteins. Artificial intelligence plays an increasingly significant role in all areas of the bioeconomy. With its supercomputing expertise, Jülich offers the perfect conditions to develop and use this resource in a particularly effective way.
The bioeconomy depends on the expertise and cooperation of numerous disciplines. The Bioeconomy Science Center (BioSC), which is coordinated by Jülich, pools the expertise of more than 1,200 engineers, biologists, agricultural scientists, and economists from over 60 institutes from the universities of Bonn and Düsseldorf, RWTH Aachen University, and Forschungszentrum Jülich. At the BioSC, experts work together to develop robust or particularly productive plants, microorganisms with valuable properties, as well as new technical processes and innovative bioinformatics methods. They also work on socio-economic implementation strategies for the sustainable production of foodstuffs, animal feed, raw and other valuable materials, and bioenergy.
Geoverbund ABC/J unites 34 geoscience institutes from the universities of Bonn and Cologne, RWTH Aachen University, and Forschungszentrum Jülich. In collaboration with biologists and engineers, and utilizing Jülich’s supercomputers, it develops innovative solutions that address climate change and the scarcity of resources as well as strengthening resilience to natural risks.
To ensure that research results are transferred to practical application, Jülich experts coordinate the BioökonomieREVIER initiative, which provides networking opportunities for stakeholders from local authorities, companies, and agriculture. They work together to test new cultivation methods and technologies and develop new products such as paper made from grass, chemicals made from residual materials from agriculture and the food industry, and clothes made from wood.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Michael Bott
Leiter der Systemischen Mikrobiologie (IBG-1)
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG)
- Biotechnology (IBG-1)
Room R 5045
Research Groups
Copyright Headerbild: Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH / Sascha Kreklau