Chair of Biotechnology & DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials
Presentation of the Institute
In the research group of Prof. Schwaneberg, bio-based basic technologies are developed for the biological transformation of industries and sustainable production in a circular economy. The research group of Prof. Schwaneberg is one of the world's leading research groups in the field of protein engineering by means of directed evolution (see Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2018). In mostly interdisciplinary consortia, tailored bio-building blocks are developed for bio-economized production of bio-functionally integrated materials as well as for the production of chemicals/polymers.
"Sustainable circular economy means for me to understand and to sustainably use nature as the source for tomorrow's wealth."
Prof. Dr. rer. nat Ulrich Schwaneberg
A prerequisite for the wealth of tomorrow is the efficient use of limited natural resources in a sustainable circular economy. To ensure this, production concepts must be rethought in order to transform these technologies into a future-oriented bio-economized production that is ecologically and economically sustainable. In this context, scientists at the Chair of Biotechnology use principles of nature as well as in collaboration with engineers the knowledge of biological resources and processes for the production of sustainable products, in which, for example, recycling is already considered in the design.
Research examples include sustainable detergents, the use of residual materials and side streams, e.g. in phosphate recycling, the development of tailored sensors for high-throughput analytical systems, e.g. to quantify micro- and nanoplastic particles in food, switchable adhesive systems to enable recycling management, enzymes for plastic recycling and bio-functional equipment of textiles/medical products.
For the relevant projects of the institute please click on this link