Press releases
- How methane and CO₂ can help tackle plastic pollutionCountry Overshoot Day marks the date each year when a country would have exhausted its annual biocapacity budget — if everyone in the world lived like its population. At Leipzig University’s b-ACTmatter research and transfer centre, innovative approaches are being explored to address the growing scarcity of resources in the face of a rising global population — through sustainable production processes and circular economy technologies.
- PET Recycling: Biochemists found start-upThe enzyme PHL7 is making headlines – discovered in a compost heap at Leipzig’s Südfriedhof cemetery, it breaks down PET, such as plastic fruit trays from the supermarket, by more than 90 per cent in a record time of just 16 hours. That is twice as fast as previously known enzymes. This biological PET recycling…
- Bioactive matter – technologies for sustainable production and a healthy environment of the futureOn 24 March 2025, b-ACT matter hosted a one-day symposium focusing on new approaches to solving pressing social challenges such as resource scarcity, sustainable production processes and comprehensive environmental protection and monitoring. Together with representatives from science, industry and administration, the participants discussed how interdisciplinary research in the field of bioactive matter – with properties of living and biological organisms – can help to overcome these challenges and rapidly transfer innovative solutions into industrial applications.
- Science communication: Research presented in an entertaining wayBringing science to the public and communicating research content and arguments in an appealing way is an important qualification for scientists. Selina Hanisch, a doctoral student in the BioMat working group at b-ACTmatter, presented her research work to the public in an entertaining way at two events in autumn.
Events
- Joint Physics Colloquium − Biochemical Colloquium − b-ACT Colloquium||| April 29, 2025 ||| We cordially invite you to the joint biochemical colloquium of the Institute of Biochemistry, the Peter Debye Institute and b-ACT matter, which will take place on April 29, 2025. The topic of Prof. Dr. Rosalind Allens’ talk will be “Using physics to understand how bacteria infect urinary catheters”.
- b-ACT matter Symposium||| March 24, 2025 ||| The Research and Transfer Center for Bioactive Matter (b-ACTmatter) kindly invites you to engage in a dynamic discussion centered on bio-based materials and cutting-edge technologies for novel applications. Our goal is to offer a wider perspective on the future directions of this innovative research area.
- Science Slam at the University Leipzig||| November 12, 2024 ||| On Tuesday, November 12, 2024, a science slam will take place at Leipzig University at 8:00 p.m., where Selina Hanisch from the b-ACT junior research group BioMat will also give a presentation. The event will be moderated by Jack Pop, known from the Circus of Science Leipzig. The supporting program and other slams will be held in German, Selina’s presentation will be in English. All interested parties are cordially invited to experience an entertaining evening together.
- IP4 Science Talks of Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research||| December 3, 2024 ||| On December 3, 2024, Dr. Laura Wey from the University of Turku in Finland will give a talk on exoelectrogenesis as a permanent extracellular electron transport pathway in photosynthetic bacteria as part of the IP4 science talk series at the UFZ.
