In the field of hygiene, the focus is on researching and developing flowmeters and other process technology components that are subject to strict requirements regarding cleanability. To this end, Endress+Hauser, together with the School of Life Sciences FHNW, has designed a test facility that allows all currently common cleaning processes to be carried out and can be used for the development of new cleaning processes.

Endress+Hauser's automation solution for the wastewater test plant is also highly complex. The challenge lay primarily in the modular design: The researchers at the School of Life Sciences FHNW can individually assemble the individual process steps on the experimental plant. This distinguishes the project from municipal and industrial plants, which clearly define individual processes and process steps. The focus is also on safety, to enable students in training to work on the plant.

The Process Technology Center
The Process Technology Center (PTC) of the School of Life Sciences FHNW was opened in June 2019 as part of the new construction project of the FHNW Campus Muttenz. With this new platform for process development of chemical, biotechnological and environmental processes, the university strengthens application-oriented research and development.

Strong focus on training
Endress+Hauser attaches great importance to promoting young talent and therefore implements various research and development projects with local educational institutes worldwide. Close partnerships exist with 15 colleges and universities worldwide.

www.endress.com

Ambergris - also called amber, ambrox or ambergris - is considered the rarest and most expensive animal fragrance; depending on the quality, up to 50,000€ per kg. Because of its special aroma, described as aphrodisiac, woody and balsamic, and its ability to make fragrances last longer, it is hotly sought after by the perfume industry. "Ambrein serves as the main source of ambergris. This triterpene alcohol is formed as a metabolic product in the intestines of less than five percent of sperm whales," explains Harald Pichler, acib researcher and professor at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology at Graz University of Technology. 

This mostly gray, wax-like substance presumably enters the sea through vomiting from the "shallows" of mammals, where it often drifts for decades before being washed ashore as flotsam. It is only through contact with salt water, sunlight and air that the odorous substances ambrox and ambrinol, which are responsible for the balanced fragrance, are formed from ambrein by oxidation. Due to the natural limitation of ambergris, the high industrial demand and the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (WA), which prohibits trade in sperm whale products, ambergris has been produced synthetically since the late 1930s. 

Previous synthesis inefficient, expensive and environmentally harmful

Most chemical synthesis routes use plant-derived diterpenoids as starting materials, such as sclareol from S. sclarea, also called clary sage. This method has two disadvantages: First, the correct synthesis of these complex molecules has been extremely expensive and laborious. "Many individual, complex measures are necessary to achieve only about 4% yield. In addition, most production steps require the controversial use of environmentally harmful chemicals and high conversion temperatures as well as pressures," explains Sandra Moser, who is researching the topic in her dissertation. On the other hand, synthetic fragrances lack the natural, complex and rich scent mixture - which is why natural ambergris is still often used in high-quality perfumes. 

Naturally efficient

The Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib), in collaboration with the Graz University of Technology and industrial partner ACS International, has for the first time developed an entirely natural biosynthetic pathway that is one step ahead of conventional industrial production: "We have found a way to biosynthesize amrein, the natural precursor of ambergris, through a new metabolic pathway in yeast. Pichia pastoristo produce. This means that for the first time we can reproduce the entire fragrance spectrum, as occurs naturally in the sperm whale, by biosynthetic means," says Pichler. And we can do it cheaply, in previously unimagined quality and in larger quantities: "We can achieve a sevenfold higher yield from a simple carbon source such as glycerol or sugar with the help of an optimized enzyme, compared to previous enzymatic processes," Moser is pleased to report. 

The patent-pending innovation will be brought to industrial scale and thus market relevance in the near future. It is not yet possible to estimate when this will be. When it does, however, the process would have the potential to initiate an environmentally friendly turnaround in global perfume production and even add "olfactory complexity" to everyday products.

www.acib.at

 

 

The multistation

The Multistation has the potential to unite a variety of applications that might not be successful separately. Thanks to existing IoT technologies, flexible services can be created in a very small space.

For example, the multistation can serve as a transmission point for 5G at the same time include parcel service and service offer, additionally include battery exchange of electric vehicles. Each station can be an individual solution for the respective location.

You can find more information at

www.ibion.ch

 

What is meant by air quality in a Europe-wide research project? In concrete terms, the researchers want to develop new sensors within the framework of the Horizon 2020 research project CARES (new sensors that are attached to the roadside, guard rails, or traffic signs and detect passing vehicles within seconds.

"We want to monitor vehicle emissions in cities and environmental zones under real conditions without having to intervene in free-flowing traffic," explains Alexander Bergmann, head of the Institute for Electronic Sensor Systems at TU Graz. In the project, he and his team are primarily responsible for all aspects of particle measurement - an area in which the institute is one of the world's leading facilities.

Multiple options for traffic regulation

"The aim is to use the measurements to determine the emissions class of each individual vehicle," Bergmann explains. Cities could, for example, introduce an emissions-based congestion charge: the higher the car's exhaust emissions, the higher the fee to be paid. Entry permits in environmental zones could also be monitored automatically, with automatic barriers only opening if the pollutant emissions of the approaching car are within the normal range. Finally, the sensor system could be used to identify and remove from circulation vehicles that have been modified with manipulated particulate filters or chip tuning to increase engine output and thus pollutant emissions.

Tuning forks as particle gauges

Bergmann expects low-cost remote sensors for measuring emissions to be ready for series production by the end of the project in 2022 at the latest. However, he already points to the first promising tests at the institute, in which conventional tuning forks are being used. These are set in vibration by laser pulses. The particles located between the tines of the tuning fork are excited by the vibration and begin to "sing" in the truest sense of the word. Each individual particle emits acoustic signals that are picked up and reproduced by the tuning fork. The more particles there are, the louder the sound. The volume can then be used to determine how many particles are in the environment.

The technique is already being used successfully for gas measurements. "Our institute has now been able to show for the first time that this also works for particles and could be a possibility for a low-cost sensor," says Bergmann. The researchers at TU Graz hope that the measurement method will also prove its worth in the metropolises of Milan, Prague and Krakow, where the investigations are being carried out in real operation as part of the CARES project.

The research project CARES is funded by the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program of the European Union with 3.326.735,50 EUR and is anchored in the Field of Expertise "Information, Communication & Computing", one of five strategic focus areas of TU Graz.

Cooperation partner:

• Ivl Svenska Miljoeinstitutet (Lead Partner; SE)
• TU Graz (Institute for Electronic Sensor Systems; Institute for Combustion Engines and Thermodynamics AT)
• Airyx Gmbh (DE)
• AMAT (Agenzia Mobilita' Ambiente E Territorio; IT)
• AUTh (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; GR)
• CTU (Czech Technical University in Prague; CZ)
• CULS (Czech University of Life Sciences Prague; CZ)
• EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research; CH)
• ICCT (International Council on Clean Transportation; DE)
• IIASA (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis; AT)
• Innovhub - Stazioni Sperimentali Per L'industria (IT)
• Krakowski Alarm Smogowy (PL)
• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research; NL)
• University of Heidelberg (DE)
• University Of Leeds (GB)
• University Of York (GB)

http://ies.tugraz.at

 

The CO² footprint provides information about how responsibly we treat our environment and contribute to the emission of harmful greenhouse gases. In a survey conducted by the portal "Online-Blitzlicht", the output of the organizers was investigated in more detail.

51 participants, around three quarters of them municipal waste disposal companies, provided information on the extent to which they pay attention to environmentally friendly behavior when attending events and would be prepared to make an additional contribution.

Ecological balance?

For half of the respondents, the ecological balance, i.e. low cost, of an event is an important aspect. A quarter of the survey participants consider it very unimportant or rather unimportant. Another quarter is undecided on this question.

The preferred means of travel to events within a radius of 500 km is by rail. Just under two-thirds use this form of passenger transportation, while one-third rely on the car.

The percentage of those who prefer air travel is 4 percent.

Carpool better

4 out of 5 people participating in the survey would carpool to improve the carbon footprint of the event they attended. Just under one fifth reject this.

Opposition to additional fees to finance compensatory measures is significantly greater. Almost half of all respondents were against such fees.

Climate protection projects in concrete terms

As far as the use of the money collected through additional charges is concerned, almost one in two is in favor of using it to finance tree planting projects or tree sponsorships. Almost a quarter of those surveyed were in favor of donations to climate protection projects.

1 in 4 survey respondents cannot get excited about any of the compensatory measures put to a vote.

Although the vast majority of respondents are well aware of the problem of CO² emissions, there is still some convincing to be done.

The proportion of those who attach no or virtually no importance to the question of the carbon footprint of the events they attend remains a relevant figure at around 25 %.

You can find more on the subject of the carbon footprint of events here

 

During the Science Days of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, everything revolves around "Scientifica", science fiction and the latest scientific trends. For this purpose, the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich also show selected science fiction classics in the cinema Kosmos.

Researchers from both institutions would like to provide a scientific perspective on topics such as artificial intelligence, extraterrestrial life or time travel, and devote themselves to audience voices after the film screenings.

Science fiction or science?

For example, the film "Imitation Game" by Morten Tyldum (2014, E/d) will be shown at the end of the "Scientifica" shown. Actually it is not a kThe press release for the science spectacle states that it is "a fictionalized history of science" rather than science fiction. Imitation Game" focuses on the dramatic development of the first intelligent machine by Alan Turing. In 1953, Turing developed one of the first Chess programswhose calculations he did for lack of Hardware himself. Named after him are the Turing Award, the most prestigious award in computer science, and the Turing test to check the presence of artificial intelligence (Source: Wikipedia). Turing's life itself was determined by a rigid British medical profession.

Is the Turing test still useful today to distinguish artificial and natural intelligence? After the moving film about Turing, Dr. Markus Kneer, philosopher (SNF Ambizione Fellow, Ethics Center and Digital Society Initiative) of UZH gives highly interesting insights into current science, for example on August 28, 2019.

Other films as "Sci Fi Warm-Up to Scientifica

Thu. 8/22: Black Panther by Ryan Coogler, 2017. discussion with development economist Dr. Adina Rom, Africa expert Mary Uyoga, and materials scientists Firehiwot Nesro Kedir and Dr. Gnanli Landrou, ETH.
Fri. 23.8: Brazil by Terry Gilliam, 1985. Expert: communication scientist Dr. Moritz Büchi, UZH.
Sat. 8/24: The Martian by Ridley Scott, 2015. Expert: environmental scientist Grace Crain, ETH.
Sun. 25.8.: Alien by Ridley Scott, 1979. Expert: astrophysicist Prof. Ben Moore, UZH.
Mon. 8/26: Blade Runner - The Final Cut by Ridley Scott, 2007. Expert: Neuropsychologist Prof. Lutz Jäncke, UZH.
Tues. 8/27: Back To The Future by Robert Zemekis, 1985. Expert: philosopher Prof. Norman Sieroka, ETH.

Wed 28.8 Imitation Game byMorten Tyldum, 2014, E/d: Expert Dr. Markus Kneer, Philosopher, SNF Ambizione Fellow, Ethics Center and Digital Society Initiative, UZH

The Zurich Science Days "Scientifica" will take place from August 30 to September 1 on the premises of UZH and ETH.

In collaboration with the Zurich Science Days Scientifica (August 30 to September 1), a selection of science fiction classics will be shown from August 22 to 28. Accompanying the films, researchers from ETH and the University of Zurich will take a scientific look at topics such as time travel, artificial intelligence or extraterrestrial life and answer questions from the audience.

www.kosmos.ch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze: "The report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC Special Report)... shows that climate protection is a question of existence for us humans. Climate change is endangering our food supply and livelihoods. Agriculture and forestry are victims of this development, but they are also important causes and thus part of the solution in climate protection. The way humanity manages the land can protect or harm the climate. The report shows us that climate protection in agriculture and forestry is feasible and at the same time brings social, economic and environmental benefits. The upcoming reform of EU agricultural support is a good opportunity to set the right incentives in Europe for more climate protection in agriculture."

Dr. Georg Schütte, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research: "Thanks to the support of the German government, Germany has a strong scientific voice in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Science reminds us to take the results of many decades of research seriously. The consequences of the drought last year and this year show us, even in our latitudes, that we need to use modern technologies to manage natural resources on land sustainably. But what we can do today will not be enough. In the long term, we need further scientific efforts to breed drought-resistant plants, for example, or to develop food chains that lead to lower post-harvest losses. This is often only possible through international cooperation, as our BMBF centers of excellence on climate change and land use in western and southern Africa demonstrate."

Alarming consequences

The report shows that almost a quarter of current man-made greenhouse gas emissions are due to land use, including forestry and agriculture. At the same time, the terrestrial biosphere acts as a natural greenhouse gas sink because nearly 30 percent of anthropogenic CO2 emissions are sequestered by vegetation and soils.

Consequences of climate change are already demonstrable. With increasing global warming, negative impacts on crop yields, food supply, food prices and water availability are to be expected. Serious risks could arise from vegetation loss and species extinction, increased forest fires, soil and coastal erosion, and increased thawing of permafrost soils.

There are effective measures that simultaneously counteract climate change and land degradation. These include sustainable land and forest management as well as measures in the food system, such as reducing food waste and less resource-intensive diets.

Rapid action reduces the risk of irreversible impacts on food security and on terrestrial ecosystems that are critical to human well-being. The costs of climate change impacts would far exceed the costs of rapid climate action in many areas.

www.ipcc.ch

 

"TrueTime" is probably not yet known by anyone among the certified green electricity labels such as - for example in Switzerland - "naturemade" or in Germany "Geprüfter Ökostrom" from TÜV Nord. One of the oldest labels is called "Grünes Strom Label". However, these green electricity labels only evaluate the production conditions.

Green electricity can only be truly green if it is produced at the moment you consume it. With "TrueTime" a label was founded that sees simultaneity as the main characteristic of green electricity and with which it is guaranteed that electricity is really green.

TrueTime makes the big difference

The problem with the previous green electricity labels is that the buyer cannot be sure whether his electricity was generated from renewable energy sources or not. In most cases, this is produced at a completely different time than it is needed and then resold at good prices in the seamlessly interconnected European power grid.

At the moment when the buyer needs electricity, it may be that the electricity has to be purchased again. But then it is usually obtained from coal-fired or nuclear power plants. And the so-called green electricity is no longer clean.

The "TrueTime" label is intended to prevent precisely this. Statutes with clear guidelines define the certification procedure. The audit is carried out annually by specialists from the renowned and independent certification organization SQS. All power plants that are operated with renewable energies, essentially with water, sun, biomass and wind, are eligible for certification.

The decisive factor is proof of at least minute-by-minute congruence between production and consumption. This means that the power plants or energy providers must read out their customers' consumption values in real time and reconcile them with their production.

EROS ELECTRIC first certified organization

The first organization to be certified with the "TrueTime" label is EROS ELECTRIC from Switzerland. EROS ELECTRIC's electricity is generated from the EROS Frisal hydropower plants in Breil-Brigels and Eglisau. Users can purchase the annual amount of electricity they need from EROS. Those who also drive a Tesla can connect their vehicle directly to the power plant. Each charging process is produced in real time at the power plant.

The electricity is still supplied by the responsible energy provider, as the Swiss electricity market has not yet been liberalized. EROS ensures that the electricity is delivered at the same time as it is consumed and is thus guaranteed to be green.

 

About TrueTime:

The organization "TrueTime" certifies any production of renewable energy: Hydro, Solar, Biomass, Wind. It was founded to promote the all-important simultaneity of electricity production from renewable energy sources. In this way, green electricity is really green and consumers are not supplied with coal-fired or nuclear power anyway as a cheat pack. 

Statutes with clear guidelines define the certification procedure. The audit is carried out annually by specialists from the renowned and independent certification organization Swiss Association for Quality and Management Systems (SQS). It has already been possible to certify one company that meets the requirements, EROS ELECTRIC. EROS stands for Energy - Renewable - Original - Sensible.

www.truetime-certificate.com

www.eros-electric.com

 

 

Individual advantages at a glance:

Certification process

Report:

• Comparison of cumulative consumption - cumulative production
• Minute granularity
• Data custody at the power plant
• Annual output (pull process in January)

Testing Simultaneity:

• Guidelines (laid down in statutes) by label association "TrueTime
• SQS checks the report annually and carries out spot checks
• Cost ceiling of CHF 3'500 p/a

Confirmation Simultaneity:

• 1 year validity
• Confirmation in letter form, which can be shown online
• Confirmation as basis for label of "TrueTime

Labeling Simultaneity:

• Association "TrueTime" certifies producers of renewable energy, which comply with the simultaneity
• Confirmation SQS as basis for label

 

 

 

 

Large corporations in particular are increasingly making a green building label a prerequisite for leasing new space (71.5 percent). This is the result of the current Commercial Real Estate Barometer, which is regularly surveyed on the occasion of the Schwaiger Broker Lounge in Munich.

The report states that the pressure for certification is coming from large national companies, but above all from abroad, such as Switzerland. More than eight out of ten real estate experts now share the opinion that international corporations are currently demanding green labels even more than German ones.

"Anglo-Saxon countries are one step ahead of us, as they are in many areas of the future. It is not enough to establish the highest possible standards at the national level. We live in a global business world and therefore also need a cross-national catalog of criteria that reflects the quality standards for real estate in which we still want to work and live in 50 years' time," explains Michael Schwaiger, CEO of the Schwaiger Group.

Motives for renting green certified properties

According to the barometer, companies are willing to dig deeper into their pockets for the green label. 43 percent of the brokers assume that companies are now prepared to spend up to five percent more for green-certified offices. 28.6 percent estimate that it will be five to ten percent more on average and another 28.6 even up to 25 percent. According to the brokers, the most important reasons are reduced operating and ancillary costs (life cycle costs), corporate social responsibility (CSR) and image enhancement (57 percent each).

The fourth most important criterion cited by real estate experts is advantages in recruiting young staff, followed by improving internal climate targets. Because green building labels also require, for example, the use of emission-free materials in the interior or the minimum distance from smoking points to the property, occupational health management is playing an increasing role in addressing issues such as employee health, well-being and performance. Schwaiger:

"In the end, these certificates are a kind of independent quality assurance. Companies know what they can expect from LEED- or BREEAM-certified properties in terms of energy consumption and water efficiency, but also with regard to indoor air quality or mobility offerings."

Direct correlation: awareness and relevance

According to the survey, the best-known certificate among brokers is LEED (100 percent), closely followed by DGNB and BREEAM (86 percent). The Austrian ÖGNI label and the local BNB are known by 43 percent of brokers. The certificate GEFMA 160, which specializes in sustainability in facility management, brings up the rear (29 percent).

"It stands to reason that, in the opinion of brokers, relevance roughly follows awareness of the labels. The absolute frontrunner is LEED," says Michael Schwaiger, CEO of the Schwaiger Group. According to Schwaiger, there is a lack of expertise in this area even among real estate professionals. Almost a third of the property brokers admit to not knowing what the various certificates stand for in detail (28.6 percent) and another 14 percent speak of "dangerous half-knowledge" themselves.

 You can find more information at https://www.schwaiger.com