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Plants that supply valuable raw materials and micro-organisms that produce innovative substances are becoming more important — for the industry and for Evonik.
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Progress is fermenting in glass vessels. Or at any rate, in the laboratory bioreactors at Evonik's site in Halle-Künsebeck in Germany. They contain bacteria and a mixture of sugar, water and other nutrients to feed the microorganisms. The special feature of the bacteria in these tanks is that they produce particularly large amounts of the amino acid L-lysine, which is used in animal nutrition. L-lysine enhances the efficiency and sustainability of raising pigs and other livestock. The small-scale tests in the laboratory will later be ramped up by Evonik for industrial-scale production. The capacity of the industrial fermenters for these bacteria is several million liters.
The site in Halle-Künsebeck, which belongs to the Health & Nutrition Business Unit, is one of the centers of Evonik's biotechnology research. More than 30 years ago, a small group of researchers at this site started working on a method of producing L-lysine by fermentation. Their work was successful. Today, employees at this site develop and optimize production processes for, among other substances, the amino acids Biolys® (L-lysine), ThreAMINO® (L-threonine) and TrypAMINO® (L-tryptophan). They also conduct research into biotechnological production processes for other Business units in the Evonik Group, for example, for polymers and active ingredients for cosmetics.
Evonik regards market-oriented research and development of the sort carried out by Halle-Künsebeck and other sites as a key drivers of future growth. Technology platforms are essential for efficient and sustainable production. "And Evonik regards biotechnology is one of its central technology platforms. Partly because it supports the increased focus on sustainable development as part of our growth strategy," explains Dr. Achim Marx, who is responsible for bioeconomics at Evonik.
The bioeconomy encompasses the production of renewable biological resources and the conversion of these resources and waste streams into value added products such as food, feed, bio-based products and bioenergy. At any rate, that is how the EU Commission defines the term. High expectations are placed in the bioeconomy—not just in Europe. In view of the rapid growth in the world’s population, climate change and the increasing depletion of resources, the bioeconomy is expected to hope secure the supply of high-quality food for people, and renewable raw materials for energy generation and industrial and medical applications
Read the full story in our CR Report 2012more