Environmental scandals, high energy consumption and toxic substances: more than half of Germans associate the chemical industry with a negative image. It is clear that a chemical transition appears to be just as necessary today as the energy and agricultural transition. And it's already underway - as these five examples prove.
Bacteria instead of petroleum
To make plastic you need petroleum. The San Diego-based biotechnology company Genomatica proves that there are alternatives.
The researchers here succeeded in genetically modifying bacteria so that they produce 1,4-butanediol (BDO for short) - an intermediate substance in plastic production that does not occur in nature. To do this, the scientists fed the microorganisms with sugar. The process was licensed by BASF, among others.
"Green" tires
The Cologne-based specialty chemicals group Lanxess is making car tires “green”: high-performance rubber significantly influences the performance of the tire tread, i.e. reducing rolling resistance. The lower the rolling resistance, the lower the fuel requirement and thus also the CO2 emissions and the emissions of other climate-damaging gases.
Exhaust gases become fuel
The New Zealand company LanzaTech is the global market leader in carbon recycling. It developed a fermentation process that can convert carbon-rich waste gases into bioethanol and other basic chemicals. The basis is a type of microbe discovered in the intestines of rabbits that eats carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide molecules, breaks them down and converts them into ethanol.
There is cooperation with Siemens, among others, because the process could make better use of the energy content of steelworks exhaust gases.
Cleansing based on natural oils
The US company Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc. produces novel specialty chemicals from natural oils, including those from soybeans, rapeseed and algae. The basis is the so-called metathesis catalysis; These can be used, for example, in the production of cosmetics or cleaning products.
“Green” nylons
Stockings and blouses, as well as parachutes and fishing lines, are made from nylon fibers. However, the production is anything but environmentally friendly: A basic building block of nylon is the polymer building block epsilon-caprolactam, the starting point for which is petroleum. Concentrated acids and hydrogen peroxide are also used.
Researchers at the University of Graz have developed a new method that works with enzymes from nature - so-called biocatalysts. This reduces toxic waste and enables production from renewable raw materials. The Essen-based chemical company Evonik has applied for a patent for the process.
Environmental scandals, high energy consumption and toxic substances: more than half of Germans associate the chemical industry with a negative image. It is clear that a chemical transition appears to be just as necessary today as the energy and agricultural transition. And it's already underway - as these five examples prove.
