No Competition for milk and bread

A study by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology has proven that biomass energy sources are gaining in significance. At the same time, growing conflicts of use could be diminished by new biofuels.

Biomass will continue to become more and more significant as Germany’s number one regenerative source of energy. At the same time, the competition between energy producers and food producers over the use of agricultural and forestry land is intensifying. New biomass energy sources point to a way out of this conflict as they use straw and logging remains. These are the main results of a recently published study by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) funded by Baden-Württemberg’s Ministry for Nutrition and Rural Areas. The KIT is a cooperation between the Karlsruhe Research Centre and the University of Karlsruhe.

Straw – a seminal energy source even for fuel production (Photo: KIT)

“Yet this will also create a controversy as to whether our fields should be used for the production of food or energy plants,” says Dr. Ludwig Leible (Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) of the Karlsruhe Research Centre), senior researcher of the study. This politically sensitive issue affecting both ethics and consumers could be partly offset by so-called second-generation biofuels. The great advantage of second-generation biofuels is that they do not compete with bread and milk.

The novel, fully synthetic biofuels will be produced from straw and logging remains - as opposed to biofuels that are produced from rapeseed or bioethanol that is produced from maize. These materials are not suitable either as foodstuff nor do they require additional cultivable land. In addition, second-generation biofuels are purer, ecologically safer and more adaptable (for example, they comply with more stringent CO2 limits) than petroleum fuel. Project leader Ludwig Leible: “The new biofuels will strengthen our non-dependency on petroleum and help us lower the CO2 emissions from road traffic according to the objectives set by the EU, without transforming our fields into fuelling stations”.

Diesel from straw and logging remains

bioliq® pilot plant at the Karlsruhe Research Centre (Photo: KIT)

With regard to the competitiveness of biofuels, the economic “break even” has not yet been reached, according to the calculations of KIT scientists. But it is within reach: If an efficient gathering and distribution of the biomass can be assured, it would already be possible to produce diesel from straw and logging remains for about 1 euro per litre. With petroleum costing 130 US$ per barrel (current price: 78 US$), this type of fuel would be able to compete with traditional diesel – even without subsidies such as petroleum tax exemptions.

In the conclusion to their research, KIT scientists advocate the development of innovative technologies for fuel production from biomass. This would include the bioliq® process developed at the Karlsruhe Research Centre. According to Ludwig Leible “bioliq® offers the additional advantage of dual use. As the need arises, biomass can either be processed as fuel or as important basic chemical materials such as methanol”. The bioliq® process is currently being prepared at the KIT Energy Centre for market introduction.

Source: Justus Hartlieb, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) - 19.09.07

Biofuels Roadmap

On 21st November 2007, the German Minister of Agriculture, Horst Seehofer, and the German Minister of the Environment, Sigmar Gabriel, presented a strategy on Germany’s climate and energy policy in the biofuel sector – the "Biofuels Roadmap".

Biodiesel (Photo: BMU / Brigitte Hiss)

“The Biofuels Roadmap makes an important contribution to the government’s climate and energy policy as well as to the development of Germany’s rural areas. The Roadmap is a clear commitment to sustainability. The promotion of biofuels is an important opportunity for the economy as well as for developments in rural areas,” said Seehofer in Berlin.

“Biofuels can make an important contribution to climate protection in cases where they lead to a significant reduction of CO2. Laws will be put in place in order to guarantee that this is taken into account. In addition, we will also ensure that imported biomass is only used if it has been cultivated in a sustainable way. It is irresponsible to use palm oil as a so-called climate-friendly raw material in Germany considering that areas in other parts of the world are cleared and moors drained to enable its production,” said Federal Minister of the Environment Sigmar Gabriel.

Biofuels Roadmap

At the “biofuels” roundtable, the two ministries came together along with representatives from the car industry, the mineral oil industry, agriculture and the biofuel industry to work out a joint strategy for the increase of the proportion of biofuels relative to overall fuel consumption over the next few years. This led to the “Biofuels Roadmap”, a paper on the expansion of biofuel use in Germany. Outstanding goals that form part of this strategy are the increase of the proportion of bioethanol added to Otto fuel from currently 5 % vol to 10 % vol and the increase in the amount of biodiesel added to regular diesel to 7 % vol. A higher percentage is currently technically impossible due to the quality requirements of the car industry.

  Biofuels Roadmap  (124 kb)

The German Federal Ministry of Agriculture specifically supports research and development in order to improve the efficiency of biofuels and their contribution to climate protection and economisation of resources.

Sustainability directive and certification

The commitment to the sustainable production of biomass for biofuels helps prevent undesirable developments. In the field of biofuels, BMELV and BMU are currently working on a sustainability directive, which will support production and use of biofuels with certification. Sustainability criteria are, for example, the sustainable cultivation of agricultural areas, certain requirements for the protection of natural habitats or a specific potential for the reduction of CO2. The German government also promotes an internationally recognised system for the sustainable production and certification of biomass for energy on the international level, for example through the Global Bioenergy Partnership.

Source: German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) - 21.11.2007

Bioenergy - the rising star among renewable resources

Who could have imagined bioenergy rather than wind bioenergy supplying more than 50% of all energy produced from renewable resources? Statistics show that the proportion of wind, water, solar energy, biomass and soil heat is constantly growing. Estimates for 2005 show that 6.4 percent of all energy production comes from renewable sources; in 1998, the comparable proportion was as low as 3.1 percent.

Available renewable energy sources (Figure: BEE)

Mineral oils, natural gas, black and brown coal and nuclear energy are still the principal resources that satisfy our hunger for energy. Funding programmes, quota and political specifications have so far been unable to overturn this David and Goliath relationship between sources of energy. However, the enormous costs of fossil energy are gradually making renewable energies economically viable resources.

A sign of the growing significance of renewable energies is the fact that they are now also very much part of the industrial, political and employment agendas. The driving force behind the growing demand for renewable energies is the Renewable Energy Law (electrical energy market), the new EU guideline on biofuels and the Regenerative Heat Law (heat market), which the Federal Ministry of Environment Ministry intends to discuss soon.

Bio - a broad field

The term ‘bioenergy’ has come to be used as a collective term referring to all kinds of energies produced from solid, fluid or gaseous biomass. According to the FNR’s (Agency of Renewable Resources - project management organisation of the Federal Ministry for Agriculture) definition, biomass is all organic substance produced or originating from plants or animals. Experts group energy that is produced from biomass into renewable resources, energy plants and organic waste.

Germany supports renewable resources: More than 1.4 hectares (=12%) of the entire agricultural area are used to grow industrial and energy plants (Figure: Agency of Renewable Resources, FNR)

Renewable materials include fast-growing tree species (such as poplars), certain annual energy plants, sugar- and starch-containing field fruit used to make ethanol as well as oil fruit such as rape, which is used for the production of fuel (biodiesel). The extended definition of bioenergy to eventually include organic waste from agriculture and forestry, industry and private households, is set to influence the statistical information in a big way. Organic waste will then include waste and residual wood, straw, grass, leaves, manure as well as sewage sludge and organic domestic waste.

Solar energy that is already stored

Bioenergy is no more than stored solar energy that is converted by photosynthetic plants into organic matter. In contrast to other renewable resources, plants can be seen as the natural storage medium of solar energy. Different technologies and methods are used to convert biomass, depending on the type of energy required and the purpose to which it is put. The classical process is the production of heat from wood that is cut into small pieces, pressed into pellets and burnt. This technology, which is also used in large-scale energy production, is primarily used for the small-scale production of heat although it can also be used for the production of electricity.

Purification to precede utilisation

Solid organic fuels are converted into solid, fluid or gaseous secondary energies in thermochemical, physicochemical and biochemical processes. Although a considerable amount of research is devoted to pyrolysis technology (liquefaction of biomass or BtL (biomass to liquid)), it is – according to expert opinion – still at the research and development stage. Numerous research institutions are currently developing different research and pilot technologies.

A biogenic, fluid energy source with a relative high-energy density can be transported easily and universally used. Suitable raw materials include wood-like fuels, straw or energy crops. Following gasification, fluid fuel is synthesised from the gas produced. The development of such designer fuels also involves partners from the mineral oil industry and car manufacturers. There is one particular German company that hopes to be able to produce 1 million tons of bioenergy per year by 2010.

Experts regard the gasification of biomass as a sustainable process for the production of electrical power. Nevertheless, the production of fuel gas is associated with numerous problems such as the problems of purification. Oil and fat extracted from rape or sunflower seeds can also be used for the production of bioenergy. Purified oil can be used as fuel in specific engines or for the production of heat and power (combined heat and power plant). Currently, these oils play a subordinate role (0.15 million tons in 2005). The use of fuels produced by the esterification of oils that can be used similarly to fossil diesel fuel is more common. The best-known example of this type of fuel is biodiesel (1.7 million tons in 2005).

Biogas is a true multi-talent

Biogas, a methane-containing gas mixture that is generated during the anaerobic degradation of organic substances, is becoming increasingly popular, thanks to the Renewable Energy Law. The gas, i.e. the methane contained therein, can be processed and used in gas burners or engines. Although the large-scale process engineering technology (in the case of gas from purification plants) has been established, problems are still encountered in the use of the heat produced. Potential applications are seen in its use as fuel. The major proportion of biogas activities in Germany is concentrated in Southern Germany.

High fuel prices have once again brought bioethanol (0.2 million t/2005) to our attention. According to information from FAO experts, agricultural ethanol made from sugar cane can compete with a crude oil price of 35 US $ per barrel. For cost efficiency reasons, biofuel is mainly produced in Latin America. In Europe, in particular in Sweden and France, but also in Germany, increasing efforts are being made to mix ethanol with regular fuels or to offer ethanol (E85) as an alternative for use with standard petrol engines, which is a major objective of Crop Energies (subsidiary of Südzucker). Experts also attest methanol’s growing importance, as it is the simplest of all alcohol fuels. It can be produced by gasification from dry biomass and used in petrol engines and fuel cells.

wp - 22.05.2006

Bioenergy - energy produced from renewable resources

The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology envisages that in the year 2020 twenty percent of all chemicals, materials and fuels will be produced from renewable resources. The Institute sets great store on biorefineries. “Biorefineries” refer to an integrated overall concept for the biochemical and thermochemical conversion of renewable resources. The bioenergy sector in general is very broad and covers the production of gas, electricity, heat and fuels. Enzymes play an important role in the use of renewable raw materials because they cause the raw materials to decompose and prepare them for further processing. Biotechnology therefore plays an important role in enzyme optimisation.

The idea of manufacturing an entire car from plant resources sounds like science fiction. Nonetheless, Henry Ford developed promising concepts as early as 1941: he suggested combining cellulose, soybean flour and formaldehyde resin to produce plastics that could be used as bodywork and interior lining of his car. Ford also envisaged the use of methanol produced from hemp.

Science Fiction or reality?

Baden-Württemberg already has a project that has moved beyond the domain of science fiction: Baden-Württemberg scientists have developed a fuel cell for use in the human body. Such fuel cells can supply implants like cardiac pacemakers with the energy they need to operate. The cells rely purely on oxygen and glucose, which are available in sufficient amounts in human body fluids.

(Photo: SIEMENS AG)

Baden-Württemberg relies on biomass

The use of biomass as an energy source can make a considerable contribution to the type of energy that will be used in the future. The attractiveness of using biomass in Germany is on the increase thanks to the country’s renewable energy legislation. Minister of the Environment Tanja Gönner estimates that the proportion of biofuels used in Baden-Württemberg rose from 2.1 percent in 2004 to more than 3 percent in 2005.

There are different ways of turning biomass into energy: wood is burned in power plants to produce heat; maize straw – currently a very popular energy source – is fermented in biogas plants and then transformed into electricity and heat. It can also be processed into synthesis gas.

It is possible to run cars with plant oil, biodiesel or bioalcohol once the combustion engines have been adapted for use with biofuels. Plants with a high cellulose or sugar content have proved particularly useful. Rape is the basis for biodiesel production.

Renewable energy – a central topic

An effective strategy for sustainable energy supply must encompass three objectives: environmental compatibility, economic efficiency and security of supply. Renewable energy means sustainability and technological innovation. The Baden-Württemberg government has set itself the goal of doubling the proportion of renewable energy used in Baden-Württemberg by 2010. Investment in this field amounted to a total of 189 million euros between 1991 and 2004.

In Baden-Württemberg, bioenergy contributes approximately 1 percent of the total demand for primary energy in Baden-Württemberg. The following biomass types are used as energy sources: wood, plant oil and biodiesel, gas from putrefaction plants and other biogases.

Current research projects in Baden-Württemberg include the Karlsruhe Research Centre, which is investigating a process in which the rapid pyrolysis of wood or straw leads to a tar/coke condensate that is easy to transport. In December 2004, the Institute of Agricultural Technology at the University of Hohenheim put a new biogas laboratory into operation.

(Bio)hydrogen - an energy source of the future?

Hydrogen has become very popular as an energy carrier in the field of solar technology or as an environmentally friendly fuel for running cars and planes as well as block heat and power plants. Biotechnology is involved in the biological production of hydrogen gas. Hydrogen is produced by autotrophic microorganisms which get their energy from converting solar energy into chemical energy. Algae and cyanobacteria are among the most important plant solar collectors. Biohydrogen thus has the potential to be an effective and environmentally friendly energy source.

Glycobiotechnology

Glycobiotechnology - Sugar research is picking up speed

Alongside DNA and proteins, sugar structures play an important role in cellular transport and communication processes. They are also part of the molecular control and regulation machinery making them of particular interest to biotechnologists. The pharmaceutical industry, as well as the food sector and material sciences, have realised the potential of sugar structures.

The era of sugar research is dawning; in fact, it has already begun. Approximately ten to fifteen years ago, life scientists started to rethink the role of sugar structures. Better analytical methods and a growing and deeper understanding of cellular mechanisms revealed that sugar structures had far more biological functions than previously thought. As a result, sugar research has received greater attention in recent years. In 2003, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) rated glycobiotechnology as one of the top ten technologies of the future.

Both basic and applied research are being carried out in Germany in order to turn glycobiology and glycobiotechnology into a field of excellence for German research and to become a world leader in this field. Following the “Glycobiotechnology Funding Priority”, the BMBF launched the “Glycobiotechnology Workgroup Contest” in 2006 in order to establish this area of research in Germany.

Cellular sugar structures are the models for new materials and surfaces

Saccharose (Photo: Takeda Pharma)

Baden-Württemberg has excellent researchers and projects in the field of glycobiology. One of the major priorities is an investigation into the cells' sugar coat. A workgroup, headed by Dr. Ralf Richter at the Stuttgart Max Planck Institute, is investigating and developing models of the cells' sugar coat. The researchers are hoping to gain insights into structure-function relationships and develop the system into a new biosensoric platform (see article entitled "How do cells work? Glycoconjugate cell coat models provide new answers").

The knowledge of sugars and their binding partners is essential for the development of innovative biomaterials. This concerns implants, prostheses and, in general, all materials that interact with biological systems. Sugar-binding proteins, the lectins, are the focus of many research activities. For example, Prof. Dr. Wittmann of the University of Constance carries out research on the multivalent recognition and differentiation of galactose-binding lectins through surface-bound neoglycopeptides (see article entitled: “How cells communicate. Constance chemists are investigating carbohydrate-protein interactions”).

Binding behaviour offers new perspectives for diagnosis and therapy

A natural killer cell (Photo: Prof. Dr. Rupert Handgretinger)

The specific binding of lectins to sugar structures is also a key process for medicine in which it is hoped that further insights into this process will lead to completely new therapies. Dr. Ingo Müller’s research team at the University of Tübingen is working on the specific sugar coat of cancer cells and is investigating how the sugars interact with the surface lectins of immune system cells (see article entitled "Cancer cells: glycosylation pattern as potential target for intervention").

The principle of specific bindings between sugars and proteins is also used in biotechnological drug production. Intensive research is devoted to developing new and optimised cell systems that enable the binding of sugars to therapeutic molecules. Freiburg-based greenovation Biotech GmbH is one such example. The company uses moss plants to develop therapeutic proteins that are combined with human sugar structures so that the target cells in the human body are able to recognise the therapeutic proteins.

In 1985, Boehringer Ingelheim’s first biopharmaceutical, Actilyse, was a glycoprotein. Dr. Michael Schlüter, who has been involved in this field since the beginning, is the head of a department that has grown considerably over the years - as has the production of biopharmaceuticals in Biberach, Germany.

Food with bioactive sugar compounds

Fucus species are also suitable as suppliers of algal polysaccharides. (Photo: Anoxymer GmbH)

Esslingen-based Anoxymer GmbH, has taken a different route, though it is also based on plants. The company investigates the health benefits of plant-derived sugar structures that are consumed with the food we eat. It develops extracts enriched with bioactive polysaccharides. The article “More than just empty calories – polysaccharides in food” deals with the therapeutic and preventive benefits of sugars.

All glycobiological and glycobiotechnological questions have something in common: the research on these highly-complex sugar molecules is always associated with large amounts of data. These data have to be compiled, administered and processed. Computer-assisted simulations and modeling in the field of glycobiology can only be dealt with using modern bioinformatics methods due to particularly complex relationships. Dr. Claus-Wilhelm von der Lieth of the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) in Heidelberg was a pioneer of glycobioinformatics. His activities are dealt with in the article entitled “Glycobiotechnology: breakthrough for glycomics”.

What is glycobio(techno)logy?

Complex sugar compounds are known as glycans. The word is derived from Greek glykós, which means ‘sweet’. Glycans consist of individual sugar components (monomers) such as glucose or fructose that are combined to form polymers. These chains can be very long, be branched or be connected with other molecules such as lipids or proteins. This leads to a complexity that is far greater than that of pure nucleic acids and proteins. Three sugar monomers are sufficient to produce more than 27,000 different structures. This also leads to a huge variety of functions: Glycans are important for the communication between cells or between cells and their molecular environment; they are also important for tissue structure and the storing of information.

The terms proteome or genome refer to all proteins or genes of an organism. Similarly, glycome is the entire complement of sugars. Glycomics is often used synonymously with the term glycobiology.

Glycobiology is the study of the structure and function of saccharides (sugar chains or glycans); glycobiotechnology focuses on their practical use. In medicine, cell- and disease-specific glycans can serve as diagnostic markers or as targets for drug therapies. In addition, sugar chains play an increasing role in biopharmaceuticals, in which they can affect stability, activity and immunogenicity of drugs. Glycans have also given new ideas to material scientists, where they can serve as a model for the development of new biomaterials such as scaffolds for the cultivation of artificial tissue (tissue engineering). Last but not least, as food additives, sugars can also have a beneficial effect on human health.

leh - 01.02.2008
© BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH

Bioprocess engineering

The inclusion of biological processes in production processes has huge potential for industry. Bioprocess engineering helps to produce materials more efficiently than ever before; at the same time it opens up ways to new and often better products.

Over the last century, science has diversified considerably. The immense increase in knowledge has led to continuing specialisation and the development of new, even more specific scientific areas. It seems that this is the only way to cope with the huge amount of progress made. The universal scholar has become a dying breed and the representatives of the individual disciplines have become so different from each other that they are unable to communicate in a common language.

At present, this situation seems to be undergoing a reversal, at least to some extent. Bioprocess engineering, involving the natural sciences and the engineering sciences, is a particularly successful example of two different scientific areas coming closer together. Baden-Württemberg is at the forefront of this development. In this German state, process engineering has always had a high industrial and academic profile and is surrounded by a highly dynamic biotech scene. Openness, curiosity and the readiness to learn from each other brings the stakeholders together and is the prerequisite for innovative developments.

A marriage of convenience

Bioprocess engineering remains deeply ingrained in the two original disciplines. On the one hand, it is part of biotechnology since it involves methods of microbiology, biochemistry, molecular and cell biology as well as genetics to use living cells in technical processes and industrial production. On the other hand, it is also part of process engineering as it deals with the application of chemical and mechanical processes for converting and treating substances in biotechnological processes as well as with the development, planning, construction and operation of technical plants that are required for doing so.

The enormous and continuously growing importance of bioprocess engineering is also reflected by the work of big institutions. In Stuttgart alone, there are two institutions that focus on bioprocess engineering. At the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, research results are directly transferred into economically sustainable products. The liver reactor for pharmaceutical substance tests is one example. The article “Practical report: the combination of biology and process engineering” focuses on how two disciplines have grown together.

Wasserstoffproduzenten: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

At the Institute for Bioprocess Engineering at the University of Stuttgart, the scientific teams are dealing with the whole range of biochemical engineering to design, analyse and optimise the production of substances in bioreactors and cell cultures. Systems biology is an important driver of bioprocess engineering. The University of Karlsruhe also focuses on bioprocess engineering. Florian Lehr is working on a production method that will enable the algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to produce hydrogen on a large scale. A 3-litre-laboratory bioreactor is already available and provides the data that are required for the subsequent development of larger reactors. A 30-litre reactor will be set up in 2008 and the first 250-litre reactor is planned for 2010 (see article entitled “Economical hydrogen production: small algae – big expectations”).

Virtual cells help to optimise biobased production methods

Insilico Biotechnology is simulating high-performance strains on the computer. (Photo: Insilico Biotechnology)

An important prerequisite for the successful application of bioprocess engineering is the computer-assisted simulation and modelling of organism metabolisms that are to be included in production processes. Instead of using the classical “trial and error” principle, simulations are a far quicker and more cost-efficient method for assessing the effects of specific metabolic manipulations on the production of the desired substance (see article entitled “Insilico is designing Formula-One type bacteria”).

The classical chemical industry also uses bioprocess engineering, for example for the production of enzymes. The production of monomers and polymers for the processing industry is an important field of the future. Bioproduction represents an ecological as well as increasingly economically interesting alternative to petrochemistry. Another field of application has developed in the industrialisation of food production. Big companies have an own process development department that uses biological systems to produce aromas and flavour enhancers such as the amino acid glutamate as well as valuable food additives (see article entitled “Tasting for research”).

leh - 28.03.2008
© BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH

Swimwear that remains dry

A group of scientists from the ITV Denkendorf headed up by Dr. Thomas Stegmaier have developed a fabric whose surface remains dry under water. A thin layer of air surrounds the textile and keeps it dry.

A first prototype can already remain underwater for as long as for 4 days without getting wet – much longer than conventional high-tech textiles. For the first time it was possible to stabilise the air layers under water just by using a specific surface structure. The aim of the current research activities is the development of new swimwear, which dries extremely quickly, thus considerably improving wearer comfort. The jury of the NRW university competition “patente Erfinder“ (ingenious inventors) awarded a patent that protects this development as a particularly innovative invention as well as having high commercial potential. The innovative surface was developed in cooperation with scientists from the Nees Institute, Bonn, Germany. Apparently, the new development has also generated a lot of commercial interest: major international swimwear manufacturers have already expressed a great deal of interest in translating this innovation into a marketable product.

Development following nature’s model

Nature’s toolbox provided inspiration for the development of this fabric. In nature, surfaces which remain dry when immersed in water are relatively commonplace. Organisms like Ancylometes bogotensis (fishing spider) or Aphelocheirus aestivalis (stream-dwelling bug), two water insects which live on/under the water, possess this useful effect. Underwater, the insects are surrounded by a silvery layer of air and are completely dry when they return to the water surface. The functional principle is based on a hairy surface structure. Ancylometes bogotensis has numerous short, curled hairs, whose hook-like structures remain bent over the air layer, keeping it in place even when surrounded by water.

Nature as model: Fishing spider (Ancylometes bogotensis) – a thin film of air keeps it dry. (Photo: Schmüdderich)

Making the textile

Inspired by nature, the bionics research group initiated a series of tests with different textile surface structures. The scientists’ idea was not simply to copy the animal surfaces, but to transfer the decoded basic principles from nature to technical products. The broad knowledge in fibre and structure technology available at the ITV Denkendorf was extremely helpful in the search for the optimal structure. The team of scientists was finally able to come up with a fabric that forms a layer of air on its surface, which surrounds the textile and keeps it dry. The surface has a dense, bouffant, hairy and elastic structure. The specific arrangement and bent design of the filaments is able to capture the tiniest air bubbles, exactly like nature. The flexibility of the filaments can withstand some mechanical stress caused, for example, through current movements, so that the layer of air also remains intact during movement. Underwater, this layer of air shines silvery in the same way as animal surfaces immersed in water do. To enhance this effect, the manufactured fabric is also highly water repellent.

Bionic development: fabric which does not get wet. A silvery layer of air encloses the textile and keeps it dry. (Photo: ITV Denkendorf)

A look into the future

The first prototype is still too stiff to be used as swimwear. However, the team of scientists is working hard to develop more flexible structures. Tests with different fabric structures also include tests on knitted fabrics - used for trendy swimwear. At the same time, the scientists’ aim is to optimise the ability to conserve the layer of air – even in the case of vigorous movement. The first prototype would not be strong enough for an active swimmer.

The basic principle provides ideas for further product ideas. In contrast to the initial design, future developments will focus on significantly reducing the friction which is caused by the layer of air. Shipbuilding, for instance, could be a suitable area of application. In this case, the minimisation of friction could considerably reduce the consumption of fuel. The question relating to the regeneration of such systems still needs to be solved. Perhaps nature’s toolbox might also provide an answer to this question.

Source: ITV Denkendorf - 4 May 2007