Carbon dioxide can be bound by finely ground rock that is introduced into ecosystems. A new study estimates for the first time the amount of CO2 absorption that can be achieved by rock flour. This biological effect is significantly higher than previously thought, the research team reports in the journal Nature Geoscience.

The Augsburg AI Production Network, founded in January, is an association of the University of Augsburg with the Fraunhofer Institute for Foundry, Composites and Processing Technology IGCV and the Centre for Lightweight Production Technology of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). The aim is joint research into AI-based production technologies at the interface between materials, manufacturing technologies and data-based modelling.

The Rüdiger Kurt Bode-Stiftung is awarding the 2021 Water Resource Prize, endowed with 100,000 Euros, to Prof. Dr. Harald Kunstmann, Chair of Regional Climate and Hydrology at the University of Augsburg and Deputy Director of the Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research - Atmospheric Environmental Research at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the KIT Alpine Campus.

In future, waste from agriculture and forestry could serve as the basis for environmentally friendly building materials, insulation foams or fuels. Over the past four and a half years, an EU project has explored the potential of such products. The results also show how much a holistic view is needed when using them in order to avoid undesirable side effects.

If there is more carbon dioxide in the air, photosynthesis and plant growth can be stimulated. Geographers at the University of Augsburg, together with scientists from 12 countries, have found in a study that this effect has decreased worldwide by about 30% over the last four decades. What are the causes for this and what are the consequences of the results.

Under the direction of the Augsburg geographer Prof. Dr. Peter Fiener, a Europe-wide "EU Innovative Training Network" has been launched to investigate the pollution of agricultural soils with macro- and microplastics. A total of 14 doctoral students at eleven European research institutions are working on the topic. Their expertise gained from research should bring influence to bear with innovative products, services and ideas for the economy and society.