Press releases and news 1998

Interferon beta is a protein produced in the body which suppresses the spread of viruses. It is also indispensable for treating multiple sclerosis. "Hydrophobicity engineering" is now being used to improve the solubility of the protein to make it more effective.

Chlorocarbons are often found as contamintations in ground water and soil. A new two-stage biological process uses microorganisms to degrade these hazardous compounds and purify the ground water.

At the Fraunhofer IGB an apparatus has been developed for the automatic on-line controlling of surfactants concentration in industrial process and cleaning baths or in surface waters.

Germany was the first country to enact a recycling (the so-called "closed loop economy") law in 1996: Instead of disposing waste it ensures the recycling or reprocessing of waste materials with the aim of saving natural resources. Fraunhofer IGB has developed a process for combined waste water purification and acid recycling. This not only protects the environment but also reduces costs.

Grain and sprouts have the potential to improve the quality of animal feedstuffs they contain all of the essential nutrients and minerals in a digestible form. A new germination procedure will enable sprouts to be produced on a large scale under controlled conditions.

Fixed-bed reactors with immobilized biomass are applied increasingly in waste water purification. However, they have one disadvantage: Their flow channels block easily. Now, at Fraunhofer IGB a bioreactor has been developed, whose fixed-bed particles are circulated from time to time. This allows continuous, trouble-free operation.