In nature, bacteria take care of breaking down organic matter from plants and animals. This unique capacity is called anaerobic digestion and has the potential to revolutionise the way we produce energy. But it suffers from two major drawbacks, both of which the EU-funded DIET project set out to overcome.
An EU-funded project has pioneered new techniques to detect and share information about infectious disease outbreaks. These methods will be used in the future to improve public health responses to pandemics. Already, some of the tools devised in the project are being further developed to specifically tackle the spread of COVID-19.
Algae grown, harvested and processed using new techniques developed by EU-funded researchers could supply greener alternatives to common ingredients - putting more eco-friendly cosmetics on the shelf and adding more sustainable foods to the menu.
An advanced biofuel plant under construction in Romania is at the centre of an EU-funded project to prove the environmental and economic benefits of producing cellulosic ethanol from agricultural residues.
EU and industry researchers are developing an innovative biorefinery which will convert by-products from the dairy industry into valuable materials that can be used to produce bio-based products, including biodegradable plastic, feeding into the EU's expanding bio-based sector.
EU-funded researchers are using innovative genomic and microfluidic technologies to identify useful enzymes in nature which could reduce the need for toxic chemicals, save energy, and boost the overall sustainability of a range of industries, from agriculture to pharmaceuticals.
Jet fuel from renewable sources holds the key to significantly reducing the environmental impact of aviation. EU-funded researchers have set out to boost Europe's production capacity, and are also developing a process that would leverage the growing of feedstock to rehabilitate land at risk of desertification.
By adapting the Andean lupin to grow as a biomass crop in Europe's poorest soils, the goal of the EU-and industry-funded LIBBIO project is to supply a range of products to the food, animal feed and cosmetics industries.
An EU-funded project has perfected the production of bio-oil and altered boilers to heat homes - recycling farm and forestry waste whilst cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
EU-funded researchers are employing the principles of control engineering to regulate the biochemical machinery inside cells, bringing the day ever closer when bacteria will be used to manufacture biological molecules on demand.
