Novel Bio-plastics from sugar beets & Co. / Technology leader BRAIN supplies Degussa with novel biopolymer producing microorganisms

Zwingenberg/ Hanau-Wolfgang (ots) -

Dear Madam or Sir:

Please find enclosed a joint press release from BRAIN AG,
Zwingenberg, Germany and Degussa AG, Hanau, Germany.

In this press release the two companies disclose the completion of
a successful collaboration in which technology leader BRAIN supplies
Degussa with novel biopolymer producing microorganisms.

Aim of this cooperation was the identification and supply of novel
microorganisms for the production of novel "biological plastics"
starting from sugar beets, sugar cane and other renewable primary
products. Following this strategy Degussa aspires to achieve an
independency of petrochemical raw materials.

The collaboration project partially was supported by the German
Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) within its
"sustainable bioproduction" program.

Please do not hesitate to come back to me if any further questions
might come up. Text and supporting pictures are available under
www.brain-biotech.de/news) and under
www.degussa.com/degussa/en/press.

Kind regards

Dr. Andreas Karau

- cross reference: Press Release is available at
http://www.presseportal.de/dokumente.html

Novel Bio-plastics from sugar beets & Co.

Technology leader BRAIN supplies Degussa with novel biopolymer
producing microorganisms

German Biotechnology company BRAIN AG and Degussa AG, a world
leader in specialty chemicals, successfully completed a
collaborative research and development project in the area of white
biotechnology. Aim of this cooperation was the supply of novel
microorganisms for the production of novel “biological plastics”
starting from sugar beets, sugar cane and other renewable primary
products. Following this strategy Degussa aspires to achieve an
independency of petrochemical raw materials. In addition,
environmentally compatible production processes will be developed.

Water soluble polymeric thickeners are of high economical value
and widespread in industries like the food- and cosmetics industry.
Other technical applications include uses as drilling adjuvants and
flocculants in water treatment. The annual world demand for these
products is in the order of several 100.000 metric tons per year.
Currently often polyacrylates and their derivatives are used. Being
comparatively cheap these materials also show good application
properties. However, they fall short of being environmentally benign
as they resist biodegradation. Furthermore, polyacrylates are made
from diminishing and expensive petrochemical raw materials.

This is the motive to accelerate the search for biological
polymers in alternative sources as in technical applications these
polymers still are grossly underrepresented. The goal of the project
under leadership of Degussa and under involvement of BRAIN was to
establish a competitive biotechnological route for the production of
microbial biopolymers as water soluble thickeners. The project is
financially supported by the German Federal Ministry for Education
and Research (BMBF) in its program for sustainable bioproduction
(„Nachhaltige Bioproduktion“).

Within the project BRAIN AG screened its comprehensive proprietary
BioArchives and additionally performed extensive multi-focused
screening activities in diverse habitats (e.g. fruits, diverse foods,
marine- and sugar rich environmental habitats) to come up with
numerous biopolymer producing microorganisms. These were evaluated
and then transferred to Degussa for additional product analysis and
viscosity evaluation. The microorganisms provided by BRAIN AG
displayed a remarkably high frequency of hits despite a challenging
performance profile set up by Degussa. The EPS producing
microorganisms are currently processed at a technical scale and
evaluated for market suitability and production.

Another focus of the cooperation between BRAIN and Degussa was the
optimisation of a producer strain for the synthesis of scleroglucan,
another innovative biopolymer with manifold technical applications.

„Through identification and implementation of novel
polysaccharides we want to improve the economics of existing
industrial production processes and at the same time expand our
product portfolio”, says Dr. Volker Sieber, Head of the BMBF-project
at the Project House ProFerm at Degussa. “The intensive cooperation
in this research and development program provides access to novel
technologies and speeds up the transition from conceptual status to
production process”, explains Dr. Andreas Karau, Head of Project
House ProFerm. „The identification of numerous novel biopolymer
producing microorganisms through rational bioprospecting is another
proof for the increasing importance of industrial biotechnology for
innovative developments”, says Dr. Jürgen Eck, CSO at BRAIN AG. He
adds „We are pleased that in the concluded cooperation we could
provide Degussa with many efficient producer strains for technical
processes.”

Besides Degussa and BRAIN an interdisciplinary team uniting
biological and chemical expertise is involved in the project.
Included were the academic partners Prof. Dr. Alfred Puehler from the
University of Bielefeld, Prof. Dr. Ulf Stahl from TU Berlin as well
as the SME´s INSILICO biotechnology in Stuttgart and DASGIP in
Juelich.

About BRAIN AG:

BRAIN Biotechnology Research and Information Network AG is an
innovative company focusing on the discovery and development of novel
enzymes and bioactives. Its novel EvoSolution® technology platform
combines the untapped biodiversity of microorganisms and plants with
modern methods of molecular biology. The company located in
Zwingenberg within the research and industrial region
Rhine-Main-Neckar has at its disposal a comprehensive BioArchive with
over 120 million genes of unique and non-cultivable microorganisms.
Based on these resources BRAIN identifies novel technical enzymes for
biotechnological production and synthesis processes
(biotransformation) in the chemical and life science industries as
well as new bioactive substances and lead candidates for the
pharmaceutical and cosmetics market, and develops the basis for their
large-scale industrial production. The company, which was founded in
Darmstadt in 1993, currently employs a staff of 48.

About Degussa AG
Degussa is a multinational corporation consistently aligned to
highly profitable specialty chemistry. In fiscal 2005, 44,000
employees generated sales of ¤ 11.8 billion and operating profits
(EBIT) of ¤ 940 million, making it Germany's third-largest chemical
company and the global market leader in specialty chemicals. This is
summed up by our claim “creating essentials”.

Goal of the Project House ProFerm is to enable the potentials of
white biotechnology meaning the industrial application of
biotechnology. A major focus is the fermentative production of
special chemicals.

Within the Project House ProFerm, which was founded in January
2004, research, planning and application of fermentation processes as
well as the respective microorganisms play a major role. ProFerm's
portfolio comprises projects focussing on new products or on novel
processes and methods.

The ProFerm team offers all key competencies, including classical
strain development, rational metabolic engineering and process
engineering. Additional support is realised through a strong
cooperation network with partners from other Degussa units and also
other companies and universities.

Editorial note:
Images are available at:
http://www.degussa.com/degussa/en/press
http://www.brain-biotech.de/news_pictures.php

Originaltext: Degussa AG
digital press kits: http://presseportal.de/story.htx?firmaid=18754
press kits via RSS: feed://presseportal.de/rss/pm_18754.rss2
ISIN: DE0005421903

Contact:

BRAIN AG
Dr. Jürgen Eck
CSO
Darmstädter Str. 34-36
64673 Zwingenberg, Germany
Tel.: +49-6251-9331-0
Fax: +49-6251-9331-11
E-Mail: je@brain-biotech.de
www.brain-biotech.de

Degussa AG
Dr. Andreas Karau
Head of Project House ProFerm
Rodenbacher Chaussee 4
63457 Hanau, Germany
Tel.: +49-6181-59- 40 69
Fax: +49-6181-59-29 61
E-mail: andreas.karau@degussa.com
www.degussa.com