Recycling CO2


into Useful Chemicals


A junior research group lead by Dr Jennifer Strunk at Ruhr- Universität Bochum, Germany, is to investigate the photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide over the next five years, following a 1.18 million Euro research grant from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).


The investigations will be conducted in the University’s Laboratory of Industrial Chemistry, headed by Dr. Martin Muhler. The funding originates from a successful application to the Call for Proposals ‘Technologien für Nachhaltigkeit und Klimaschutz – Chemische Prozesse und


stoffliche Nutzung von CO2’ (Technologies for Sustainability and Climate Preservation – Chemical Processes and Molecular Conversion of CO2”) of the BMBF


The research team will be aiming to recycle CO2 into important building block chemicals for industrial or fuel


applications - for example methane and methanol – just by adding water and shining light on the reaction mixture, instead of using hydrogen and a conventional energy- intensive high-pressure process.


This approach would require an appropriate photocatalyst to be added to the reaction mixture and the main focus of the work will be on knowledge-based development and testing and characterisation of a variety of heterogeneous photocatalysts for the desired chemistry.


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IFR Develops New Method for Detecting Clostridium


Botulinum Spores The Institute of Food Research has collaborated in the development of a new method for detecting spores of non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum, the major health hazard associated with refrigerated convenience foods. Food production incorporates practices and risk assessments based on the latest scientific information, such as spore heat resistance, growth properties of non- proteolytic C. botulinum, and the incidence of these spores in food; this new method is providing high quality and specific information on the incidence of non-proteolytic C. botulinum spores in food only.


Some previous techniques were not optimised to distinguish between non- proteolytic C. botulinum, which will produce spores and toxin at 30


at temperatures below 120


C and proteolytic C. botulinum which will not grow C. The new method is also very sensitive


with a low detection limit that has been achieved by the use of a selective enrichment and large test samples, and importantly this has been confirmed using carefully structured control samples.


Developed as a collaboration between the Nestlé Research Centre, Switzerland and IFR, an institute of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) this robust method can provide the data the food industry needs for quantitative microbial risk analysis and the implementation of food safety objectives. This allows the total risk from spores of non- proteolytic C. botulinum in the final meal to be calculated. Modelling the risk of this total spore count rising above safe levels and the frequency that this event occurs will allow the management and control of the process more accountably.


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The UK and Russia have agreed on greater collaboration in space between the two nations. In signing the agreement, UK Space Agency’s Chief Executive, Dr David Williams said: “Space provides governments with the possibility to improve lives across their communities, along with offering novel commercial opportunities,” said Dr Williams. “It is a truly global activity and one where it is right that we should work together”.


The Memorandum of Understanding was concluded recently at the Farnborough Airshow. Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Anatoly N. Perminov signed for Russia.


“To explore and benefit from space at most we need to cooperate with each other”, noted Mr Perminov. “And that is the very essence of our agreement. I’m sure that the future of space exploration can be guaranteed only by international cooperation”.


Science Price Winners visits Eppendorf


Richard Benton, Ph.D. (Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, Switzerland) 2009 winner of the Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology, visited Eppendorf’s headquarters in Hamburg during September, where he gave a talk about his ground-breaking work on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Dr. Benton has shown that insects have invented unusual receptors to detect smells. By targeting these molecules with specific chemical inhibitors, it may be possible to control the odour-evoked behaviours of insects that transmit human diseases such as malaria. As a reminder of his visit to Hamburg Dr. Benton (on the left in picture) was presented with Eppendorf’s new Research®


plus


pipette. This international US$ 25,000 Prize for Neurobiology is awarded jointly by Eppendorf and the journal Science. All young scientists who are 35 years of age or younger and who have made outstanding contributions to neurobiological research are invited to apply. The next deadline for applications is June 15, 2011.Visit www.eppendorf.com/prize.


The Secretary of State – Deputy Head of Roscosmos Mr. Vitaly Davydov added: “The Memorandum of Understanding clearly indicates the willingness of both Russia and the UK to establish an effective mechanism for mutually beneficial cooperation. Though specific collaborative projects are yet to be defined, we believe that there will be a whole number of joint projects in the nearest future that will be aimed primarily at the application of space technologies in the interests of social and economic development of Russia, UK and Europe in general”.


Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) which has had a long and successful collaboration working with the UK and Moscow offices of Commercial Space Technologies (CST Ltd.) as representative and local partner. “ I hope that the signing of this MOU between UK Space Agency and the Russian Federal Space Agency will bring further commercial benefits to the space activities and space industries of both countries." Professor Sir Martin Sweeting OBE, Executive Chairman of SSTL said.


Richard Benton TO FIND OUT MORE CIRCLE NO. 7 TO FIND OUT MORE CIRCLE NO. ICG Award goes to SCHOTT scientist


Dr. Klaus Bange (60), a scientist at SCHOTT, was presented with the Willaim E.S. Turner Award in recognition for his outstanding achievements and long-standing commitment to the International Commission on Glass in September at the opening event of the ICG Congress in Salvador, Brazil. This Congress is held every three years


A physicist, Dr. Bange received his Ph.D. from the Technical University of Berlin in 1982. He began his career with the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society before joining SIEMENS in Berlin and became a SCHOTT employee in 1987. Responsible for various tasks related to the characterisation and development of thin films for electrochromic devices, he rose to head the Electron Microscopy and Thin Films Analysis and the Solid State Analysis departments. In 1997, he started


establishing the Analysis Measurement Services (AMS) group and in 2001 took over responsibility for luminescence Technology, one of the units at SCHOTT Spezialglas GmbH. From 2005 through 2010, he served as Senior Principal Scientist. His scientific achievements have been published in more than 130 articles and books.


As a member of the ICG, he served as Chairman of the Technical Committee Glass Surface Diagnostics and Vice- Chairman of the “Coordinating Technical Committee” from 1994 until 2003, before serving as its Chairman from 2004 until 2009. From 2004 through 2009, he organised the “DGG Glas Forum” on behalf of the “Deutsche Glastechnische Gesellschaft” (DGG).


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EFCC-Labs Are Vital Award Notice


EFCC and Labs Are Vital™ are pleased to announce the EFCC- Labs Are Vital Award for Excellence in Outcomes Research in Laboratory Medicine, sponsored by Abbott. The Award will be given to the best published paper, as judged by an independent panel of experts, which demonstrates improved outcomes (clinical and/or economic) arising out of the application or improved utilisation of an in-vitro diagnostics test.


This award will be presented for the first time at IFCC/Euromedlab 2011 in Berlin and thereafter it will be awarded every two years at an EFCC conference. The Award will consist of a certificate and the sum of 15,000 Euro. All entries must be published in English in a peer-reviewed medical, scientific or health economics journal, and must have been published or finally accepted for publication between February 1, 2009 and February 1, 2011. Applications and additional details are available at www.efcclm.org.


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Historic space deal between UK and Russia


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