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Microbes can produce sustainable adhesives for mining and construction. Dr Luitpold Fried receives the 2025 Innovation Award from the Vereinigung für Allgemeine und Angewandte Mikrobiologie (VAAM, Association for General and Applied Microbiology) for this idea. At the biotechnology company Bind-X GmbH, he and his team optimised microbially produced calcite for industrial applications in mining, road construction, and agriculture. This saves up to 90 percent of CO₂ emissions and water. The VAAM will award the prize of 5000 Euros for outstanding current work in the field of industrial microbiology at its annual conference in Bochum on 24 March 2025.
Biocement was first described 50 years ago: Some microbes form mineral compounds. As part of their metabolism, they convert nutrients from their environment and precipitate calcium carbonate (calcite). This in turn binds soil particles together and thus increases the strength and stability of materials and soils. The industrialisation of this natural microbial incrustation and bonding process has only recently been achieved.
Luitpold Fried and his team characterised the first successful bacterial strains twelve years ago. They optimised multiplication, developed specific culture media, and thus significantly increased calcite production. Using modern methods, they ensured that the bacteria remain alive during the drying process and maintain their metabolic activity, including biocementing enzymes. In mining, microbial support can reduce dust pollution, which saves up to 90 percent of water. Dust formation is normally suppressed by spraying large quantities of water or chemical solutions - which both are environmentally harmful and costly. In road construction, the technology stabilises road surfaces. In agriculture, the microbes enable ecological weed management: calcite crusts form a mechanical barrier for weeds as an alternative to chemical herbicides.
Fried's research has led to six patents, covering both the basic technology and specific applications across various industrial sectors. Under the technical management of the microbiologist, Bind-X has expanded into an international company with sites in Germany, South Africa, and Australia. Fried is also committed to academic teaching and has held a lecturer position at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences since 2022.
With this year's Innovation Award VAAM honours Fried's exceptional ability to translate complex scientific findings in microbiology into scalable, industrial applications. “Luitpold Fried has redefined the possible applications of bacterial products,” says the award committee. He has created a scientifically and technologically unique link between basic microbiological research and industrial application. VAAM President Stefan Pelzer emphasises: “His work on microbial biocementation provides promising sustainable solutions across various industries and significantly contributes to resource conservation and environmental protection”.
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Dr Luitpold Fried (41) has been Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Bind-X GmbH since the company was founded. As a member of the management board and authorised signatory, he is responsible for product development, patents, European sales and the R&D team. He pursued his studies in biology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where he earned his doctorate in 2012 under the supervision of Kirsten Jung at the Chair of Microbiology. He has been a guest lecturer at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences Kleve since 2022.
The VAAM is a founding member of the VBIO and represents over 3400 microbiologically oriented scientists from research and industry. The spectrum of research ranges from bacteria, archaea and fungi in all ecosystems and in food to pathogens, genome analyses and industrial use of microorganisms, their enzymes and metabolic products. This year's annual conference will take place on 23-26 March in Bochum (https://vaam-kongress.de/).
The VAAM Innovation Award honours young scientists in industrial companies for outstanding innovative scientific work in industrial research or development in the field of microbiology every two years. The Innovation Award thus complements the annual VAAM Research Award. As of this year, it is funded by the Biobased Future Foundation (http://biobasiertezukunft.org/).
Information, contact, further images:
Dr. Anja Störiko |Tel. +49 (0)6192 23605 | vaam@stoeriko.de
Dr. Katrin Muth | VAAM Office | Mörfelder Landstraße 125 | 60598 Frankfurt am Main | Tel: +49 69 66056720 | http://www.vaam.de
Dr. Kerstin Elbing | Berlin Office of VBIO | Luisenstraße 58/59 | 10117 Berlin | Tel: +49 30 27891916 | https://www.vbio.de/
Dr Luitpold Fried
Bind-X GmbH
Image for use in the context of this press release
The pinnacles in Western Australia's Nambung National Park are the best-known natural example of cal ...
Janet Reznicek, Bind-X GmbH
Image for use in the context of this press release
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Dr Luitpold Fried
Bind-X GmbH
Image for use in the context of this press release
The pinnacles in Western Australia's Nambung National Park are the best-known natural example of cal ...
Janet Reznicek, Bind-X GmbH
Image for use in the context of this press release
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