Press releases

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Goethe University PR & Communication Department 

Theodor-W.-Adorno Platz 1
60323 Frankfurt 
presse@uni-frankfurt.de

 

Dec 20 2023
14:31

New collaborative study has evaluated technical measures for combating pollutant emissions from wood-burning stoves

Wood-burning stoves: Combining electrostatic precipitators and catalytic converters is the best way to reduce pollutants

In the collaborative project “TeToxBeScheit", researchers from Goethe University Frankfurt, RWTH Aachen University and the university hospitals in Aachen and Freiburg have studied how effectively electrostatic precipitators and catalytic converters reduce pollutant emissions from wood-burning stoves and in so doing protect humans and the environment. On the basis of their study, the scientists recommend that both technologies are prescribed in the future in order to minimize the pollutant load for humans and the environment. The research project was funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. 

FRANKFURT. In Germany, there are millions of small firing systems: wood-burning stoves for domestic use in which logs are burned. In the process, a lot of particulate and gaseous pollutants are released into the atmosphere: ultrafine soot particles, carbon monoxide, highly volatile organic substances such as formaldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and many more besides. The number of substances released runs into the thousands, and some of them influence each other, which makes them even more hazardous. 

In Germany, the 1st Federal Immission Control Ordinance sets limit values, at EU level the Ecodesign Directive. To reduce pollutant emissions, stoves are fitted with abatement devices, such as electrostatic precipitators or catalytic converters. The electrostatic precipitator charges the particles in the flue gas so that they are precipitated in the flue pipe. The catalytic converter converts toxic gaseous substances into non-toxic ones. In this way, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons are transformed into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water, for example. 

Although studies on catalytic converters and electrostatic precipitators have already been published, these have only looked at a few pollutants in the flue gas. In practice, catalytic converters and e-separators have so far rarely been installed. Until now, it has not been clear how effective these technologies really are. The collaborative project “TeToxBeScheit" has now been able to close this knowledge gap. 

Scientists from four institutes have investigated to what extent catalytic converters and electrostatic precipitators separately and in combination reduce pollutant emissions and what protective effect this has on humans and the environment. The Unit of Technology of Fuels at RWTH Aachen University (TEER) coordinated the project. It built the test stand for taking the flue gas and particle samples and conducted the chemical and physical experiments together with Uniklinik RWTH Aachen. The Medical Center – University of Freiburg was responsible for the human toxicology experiments and Goethe University Frankfurt for the ecotoxicological ones. The latter were conducted by a team from the Department of Evolutionary Ecology & Environmental Toxicology at the Institute of Ecology, Diversity & Evolution of Goethe University Frankfurt, led by Professor Henner Hollert, Dr. Sabrina Schiwy and Marc Wollenweber. 

Professor Hollert describes what is special about “TeToxBeScheit" as follows: “It is the first study on pollutants from wood-burning stoves with an integrated approach that goes far beyond the chemical analysis of individual substances: Together with the other partners, we have taken a very close look at the flue gas, the particulate matter emissions and the effect of the abatement devices, not only the chemical and physical side but also the human toxicology and ecotoxicology side, that is, the effect of the pollutants and combinations of them on humans and ecosystems. This effect-based analysis is also able to corroborate the adverse effect of previously unknown pollutants and pollutant mixtures and has so far not been conducted in this way in similar studies." 

Environmental toxicologist and research associate Marc Wollenweber used cell cultures and aquatic test systems to examine the pollutants from the wood-burning stoves, as in nature pollutants also enter water bodies, for instance when rain leaches them out of the air. Together with TEER and the Medical Center – University of Freiburg, he used wash bottles on the test stand to simulate this leaching. Wollenweber then looked at how three aquatic model organisms reacted: algae, water fleas and fish embryos. 

In the water with untreated flue gas, the toxicity was clear to see: The organs of the fish embryos – an alternative method to animal experiments with fish – were damaged, the water fleas died, algae growth was inhibited. With an upstream catalytic converter, however, no adverse effects were seen and the pollutant load of the aquatic systems could be substantially reduced. The chemical and physical measurements corroborated this result from the biological experiment. The electrostatic precipitator, on the other hand, proved to be less effective in the firebox. Only when the device was installed at a greater distance from it did the toxicity decrease. The reason for this is that certain substances only bind to particles in the flue gas once it has cooled down and the particles can be removed.

For the human toxicology experiments at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg led by Dr. Manuel Gracia-Käufer, a cell-based model of a lung was used to evaluate the effect of inhaling the flue gases. This in vitro exposure method is currently the most advanced of its kind. In such experiments, the lung cell cultures grow on the boundary layer between the gas phase and the liquid phase, thus mirroring the conditions in the human lung. The air-borne pollutants flowed over the lung cells from the side facing the air, like when inhaling flue gases. The scientists then measured whether, for example, the genome changed as a result of the (toxic) load during exposure. The outcome was that the catalytic converters initially performed better than the electrostatic precipitators vis-à-vis human toxicology as well. This was again due to the fact that electrostatic precipitators, although they substantially reduce the particulate load, only neutralize gaseous pollutants from the flue gas to a limited extent. 

Accordingly, for Dr. Sabrina Schiwy, team leader in the Department of Evolutionary Ecology & Environmental Toxicology at Goethe University Frankfurt, the catalytic converters are clearly the “winners". She considers them to be “universally effective", they could reduce highly reactive substances that penetrate our lungs in gaseous form or as fine particles. They can be retrofitted for a small sum, about €400. The immediate effect of the electrostatic precipitators vis-à-vis ecotoxicology and human toxicology is initially less obvious, but they are nevertheless indispensable as additional abatement measures because (especially in the case of a chronic load) they reduce hazardous particulate matter emissions by up to 95%. Electrostatic precipitators thus have an effect in an area not covered by catalytic converters. TEER discovered this important aspect during its experiments. 

The study also examined the effect of the two technologies in combination. As a consequence, Wollenweber recommends that wood-burning stoves be equipped with both in the future. The electrostatic precipitator should be installed upstream of the catalytic converter so that it removes the particles first. The catalytic converter then takes care of the gaseous substances. But what do the results mean for the 1st Federal Immission Control Ordinance, which only sets limit values? Wollenweber says: “We are calling for the limit values to be adjusted to the state of the art for abatement measures so that no more stoves are sold and installed without them." 

Download (in German):
Final report of the collaborative project “Kombinierte technische und toxikologische Bewertung von Emissionsminderungsmaßnahmen für Scheitholzfeuerungen (TeToxBeScheit)" (Combined Technical and Toxicological Evaluation of Emission Abatement Measures for Wood-Burning Stoves)
https://www.fnr.de/ftp/pdf/berichte/22041118.pdf 

Picture download:
https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/147073847 

Caption: The stove on the test stand: The flue gases underwent chemical and physical tests at RWTH Aachen University. Photo: Johann Hee 

Further information:
Professor Henner Hollert
Head of the Department of Evolutionary Ecology & Environmental Toxicology
Institute of Ecology, Diversity & Evolution
Goethe University Frankfurt
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798-42171
hollert@bio.uni-frankfurt.de
https://www.bio.uni-frankfurt.de/43970666/Abt__Hollert 

Dr. Sabrina Schiwy
Department of Evolutionary Ecology & Environmental Toxicology
Institute of Ecology, Diversity & Evolution
Goethe University Frankfurt
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798 42173
schiwy@bio.uni-frankfurt.de 

Marc Wollenweber, M. Sc.
Department of Evolutionary Ecology & Environmental Toxicology
Institute of Ecology, Diversity & Evolution
Goethe University Frankfurt
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798-42172
wollenweber@bio.uni-frankfurt.de


Editor: Dr. Markus Bernards, Science Editor, PR & Communication Office, Tel: +49 (0) 69 798-12498, Fax: +49 (0) 69 798-763 12531, bernards@em.uni-frankfurt.de

 

Dec 7 2023
09:43

International conference "CRITICAL BARBRA" pays tribute to multitalented artist

Barbra Streisand: The first global Jewish superstar

FRANKFURT. One of her biographers once described her as the "world's greatest living performer ": Barbra Streisand, born in Brooklyn, New York in 1942, is the focus of the international conference "CRITICAL BARBRA", held

from December 14 to 16, 2023
at Goethe University Frankfurt, Deutsches Filminstitut Filmmuseum
and the Jewish Museum Frankfurt

The event is organized by film scholars Prof. Vinzenz Hediger (Goethe University Frankfurt) and Prof. Marc Siegel (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz). 

Barbra Streisand is one of the most visible and influential figures in cinema and the music industry. She became famous both as a singer, whose mezzo-soprano voice easily spans three octaves, and through numerous film roles, as a director, dancer, comedian and storyteller. From the 1980s onwards, she was for many years considered the most powerful woman in Hollywood. But Streisand was unique in another important way: Breaking with a long tradition of assimilation in the arts, she was the first recognizably and unapologetically Jewish global superstar. Sporting a Jewish name, Streisand abstained from and often made jokes about the kind of plastic surgery many of her predecessors in show business had undergone. 

The CRITICAL BARBRA conference focuses on the multifaceted performer and cultural icon in a multidisciplinary perspective. Streisand's persona and work offer numerous opportunities to analyze modern and contemporary musical and visual culture in its full breadth and depth. "We believe that a conference on Streisand at this point in time can make a useful contribution to the debate about Jewish visibility and the rise of new forms of antisemitism, with a particular focus on current debates about the arts and the art world," says organizer Vinzenz Hediger. 

CRITICAL BARBRA pays homage to different aspects of Streisand's talent by means of film screenings, academic lectures, discussions and performances. All events will be held in English. 

The detailed program is available at: https://konfigurationen-des-films.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Flyer_01_web.pdf 

The event poster can be downloaded at: https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/146482898 

Further information:
Prof. Vinzenz Hediger
Institute for Film and Theater Studies
Goethe University Frankfurt
E-Mail hediger@tfm.uni-frankfurt.de
Homepage https://konfigurationen-des-films.de


Editor: Dr. Anke Sauter, Science Editor, PR & Communication Office, Tel: +49 (0)69 798-13066, Fax: +49 (0) 69 798-763 12531, sauter@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de

 

Dec 4 2023
16:22

Study by Goethe University Frankfurt identifies mechanism that could be a suitable starting point for developing novel drugs

Leukemia cells activate cellular recycling program 

To speed up their growth, leukemia cells typically activate the recycling of cellular structures – enabling them to dispose of defective components and better supply themselves with building materials. Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt have now shown that leukemia cells with a very common mutation activate specific genes that are important for this recycling process. Their findings, published in the journal Cell Reports, open up new therapeutic options for the future. 

FRANKFURT. In a recent study, scientists led by Professor Stefan Müller from Goethe University's Institute of Biochemistry II investigated a specific form of blood cancer known as acute myeloid leukemia, or AML. The disease mainly occurs in adulthood and often ends up being fatal for older patients. In about a third of AML patients, the cancer cells' genetic material has a characteristic mutation that affects the so-called NPM1 gene, which contains the building instructions for a protein of the same name. 

While it was already known that the mutated NPM1 variant (abbreviated as NPM1c) is an important factor in the development of leukemia, "together with an interdisciplinary team consisting of various Goethe University research groups, we have now discovered a new way in which the NPM1c gene variant does this," Müller explains. According to this, the altered protein intervenes in autophagy, an important cell process that consists of a metabolic pathway through which the cell recycles its own structures. On the one hand, this "self-digestion" serves to remove defective molecules. "On the other, it also enables the cell to meet its need for important building blocks, including in the event of a nutrient deficiency or increased cell proliferation, which is characteristic of cancer cells," explains PhD student Hannah Mende, the study's first author. 

During autophagy, the cell initially produces a kind of waste bag, the autophagosome, into which it packs those cellular components that are to be broken down and recycled if necessary. This waste bag is then transported to the cell's recycling center, the so-called lysosome, where its contents are broken down with the help of acid and enzymes. From here, the building blocks are then released into the cell, where they can be reused. "We have now been able to show that NPM1c promotes the production of both autophagosomes as well as lysosomes," says Müller. 

The researchers have also provided an answer to the question of how NPM1c imparts these effects: It binds to a central regulator of the autophagosome-lysosome system called GABARAP, and thereby activates it. "Using computer simulations, we have shown that this binding of NPM1c and GABARAP has an atypical structure," explains study co-author Dr. Ramachandra M. Bhaskara, head of the Institute of Biochemistry II's computational cell biology working group. Experimental structural biology data confirm the simulation's results, based on which it may now be possible to develop active substances that specifically influence the binding of NPM1c to GABARAP and thus combat the growth of leukemia cells. 

Publication: Hannah Mende, Anshu Khatri, Carolin Lange, Sergio Alejandro Poveda-Cuevas, Georg Tascher, Adriana Covarrubias-Pinto, Frank Löhr, Sebastian E. Koschade, Ivan Dikic, Christian Münch, Anja Bremm, Lorenzo Brunetti, Christian H. Brandts, Hannah Uckelmann, Volker Dötsch, Vladimir V. Rogov, Ramachandra M. Bhaskara, Stefan Müller: An atypical GABARAP binding module drives the pro-autophagic potential of the AML-associated NPM1c variant. Cell Reports (2023), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113484 

Images for download: https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/146339021 

Caption: The green dots in this fluorescence image show binding of the leukemia-associated NPM1c protein to the recycling regulator GABARAP. Blue: cell nucleus, purple: cytoskeleton. Photo: Hannah Mende, AG Stefan Müller, Goethe University Frankfurt 

Further information
Professor Stefan Müller
Institute of Biochemistry II
Goethe University Frankfurt and Frankfurt University Hospital
Tel.: +49 (0)69 6301-83647
ste.mueller@em.uni-frankfurt.de
www.biochem2.de
Twitter/X: @goetheuni @IBC2_GU


Editor: Dr. Markus Bernards, Science Editor, PR & Communication Office, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Tel: +49 (0) 69 798-12498, Fax: +49 (0) 69 798-763 12531, bernards@em.uni-frankfurt.de

 

Dec 4 2023
13:37

Academy for Islam in Research and Society (AIWG) publishes expertise on Islamic burials

More and more Muslims choose to be buried in Germany

More than 5.5 million Muslims live in Germany, a growing number of whom want to be buried here after their death. This rising demand for Islamic burials presents German municipalities and Muslim communities with a variety of challenges. 

FRANKFURT. Without a coffin, facing Mecca – these are the religious guidelines according to which Muslims are traditionally buried. But to what extent do contemporary German cemeteries meet these guidelines? What solutions have cemetery operators found to enable burials according to Islamic rites? 

AIWG's recently published report “Islamische Grabfelder und Bestattungen auf deutschen Friedhöfen" [“Islamic burial grounds and burials in German cemeteries"] provides the first accurate reflection – based on a broad database – of the current status of Islamic burials in municipal cemeteries in Germany. As part of his research fellowship for the AIWG expertise, the main author, Prof. Thomas Lemmen of the Catholic University of Applied Sciences of North Rhine-Westphalia, carried out a quantitative survey. Some 86 percent of the more than 300 cemetery administrations nationwide that have Islamic burial plots took part in the poll, whose data shows that from a legal point of view, there are few obstacles to burial in conformity with Islam. Put differently: German burial law largely takes into account the religious beliefs of Muslims. 

The high level of interest shown by cemetery administrations in Islamic burials reflects the changing reality of Germany as a migration society. An important study result is the finding that, in the municipal context, the successful implementation of burial regulations has been the result of the discourse between cemetery administrations and Muslim interest groups. 

"Cemetery administrations in Germany are very well positioned to meet the challenges of setting up Islamic burial plots. The fact that the overwhelming majority of them not only took part in the extensive survey, but also that many cemetery administrations are now in close contact with local Muslim communities, is a sign of successful integration and functioning interfaith cooperation," says Thomas Lemmen. 

The publication not only includes empirical data and information on historical developments, but also illustrative material as well as articles on rituals and practical issues relating to the religious principles and procedures of Islamic burials, written by Dr. Özgür Uludağ. 

"Part of life is the end of it, with the place of burial serving as the final and eternal resting place. Funeral directors, local authorities and cemetery administrators also have to address growing religious and ideological heterogeneity. This expert report provides important information not only for them, but also for academics working on the subject. Beyond that, it is aimed at Muslims and their institutions, who are not only confronted with specific religious questions in the event of death in Germany, but also with official and practical challenges," says AIWG managing director Dr. Raida Chbib. 

The full publication (in German) can be downloaded from the AIWG website at
https://aiwg.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AIWG010_Expertise_230803_Screen.pdf 

About the authors 

Prof. Dr. Thomas Lemmen is an honorary professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Catholic University of Applied Sciences North Rhine-Westphalia's Cologne department, and director of the part-time Master's course "Interreligious Dialog Competence". His research focuses on the fundamentals and practical approaches of interreligious dialog as well as current topics related to Muslim life in Germany. From October 2021 to June 2022, he worked as a research fellow at the AIWG on the project "Islamic burials in Germany: A review of the adaptation of state and municipal burial regulations to the religious needs and expectations of Muslims in Germany". You can read more about the AIWG research fellowship here (in German). 

Dr. Özgür Uludağ studied Islamic Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Turkish Studies and Sociology of Migration at the University of Hamburg. He completed his doctorate at Kiel University with a dissertation on "Islamic burials and the decision-making process when choosing a grave location". In addition to his studies, he worked for many years as a funeral director at Muslim funerals. As part of his AIWG practice fellowship, he created a multimedia website on Islamic funerals in Germany, which is available at (in German): https://one.pageflow.io/islamische-bestattungen-in-deutschland#344736 

Further information
Stefanie Golla-Dehmamy
Coordinator Science Communication and PR
Academy for Islam in Research and Society
Goethe University Frankfurt
Phone: +49 (0)69 798-22459
E-Mail golla@aiwg.de
Homepage https://aiwg.de/ 

About the AIWG
The Academy for Islam in Research and Society (AIWG) at the Goethe University in Frankfurt conducts interdisciplinary research and transfer activities with a focus on Islamic Theological Studies and Muslim life in Germany. It connects all faculties for Islamic Theological Studies or Islamic religious pedagogy located in a University in Germany. The academy addresses issues of social participation by including perspectives related to religion. The AIWG is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.


Editor: Dr. Anke Sauter, Science Editor, PR & Communication Office, Tel: +49 (0)69 798-13066, Fax: +49 (0) 69 798-763 12531, sauter@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de

 

Dec 4 2023
12:53

Device to be used to pioneer quantum computing, under the direction of computer scientist Prof. Thomas Lippert   

Goethe University receives its first quantum computer  

With the upcoming installation of its first quantum computer, Goethe University will join the list of leading German universities in the field of applied quantum computing: Based on the technology of nitrogen vacancies in a synthetic diamond, Frankfurt's first quantum computer, named "Baby Diamond", will start as a pilot system with five qubits. Ulm-based start-up XeedQ is scheduled to deliver the device in the first quarter of 2024, with initial pilot users expected to come from Goethe University Frankfurt and the National High Performance Computing NHR Alliance. 

The topic of quantum computing is a future technology that is currently on everyone's lips, promising to tackle tasks in the fields of computer simulation and AI that were previously too large or even unsolvable using digital methods. "With our new pilot quantum computer, we are taking an important step into this revolutionary field, which will soon be followed by others," says Goethe University President Prof. Enrico Schleiff. "Baby Diamond will give us a first glimpse into a future in which great computational challenges, the likes of which we cannot even imagine today, will become possible." 

Ulrich Schielein, Goethe University Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO), adds: "It is likely that, in a few years' time, we will be able to address completely new types of problems not only from the worlds of finance, logistics in rail, air and road transport, medicine and biology, weather and climate research, but also in the fields of basic sciences, like physics and chemistry, or the training of basic models of artificial intelligence. We are looking forward to working together with researchers, companies and institutions here in the Rhine-Main region." 

The quantum computer uses a small synthetic diamond, commonly found in industrial applications, in which nitrogen atoms are embedded, each of which induces a defect that can in turn be used as a central qubit. Spins of atoms can be controlled as further qubits around this defect, making practical quantum computing possible. 

"Our entry-level system is based on the idea of a compact quantum computer that can be used at room temperature, doesn't require any special cryogenic cooling, can be set up in a small laboratory and is particularly energy-efficient," says Prof. Thomas Lippert, head of the modular supercomputing and quantum computing working group, established at Goethe University's Faculty of Computer Science and Mathematics in summer 2020. "As a university, by installing the quantum computer, we are consciously taking a stand against the current monopolization of large companies that hide their systems behind paywalls. It being a compact system, we can already train students today in a hands-on manner directly on the device – exactly what is needed to become fit for the future." 

The quantum computer is part of the so-called “Frankfurt Roadmap", which sets out to procure up to 16 high-quality qubits by 2025 and gradually increase this number in the future. The pilot system operated in collaboration with the NHR Alliance will help establish an infrastructure at Goethe University that will closely link quantum computing with high-performance computing. In this context, Goethe University was able to secure Forschungszentrum Jülich with its JUNIQ quantum computing infrastructure as a scientific partner –a global pioneer in modular hybrid quantum HPC computing. 

The system is being developed by XeedQ, which is based both in Leipzig and at the German Aerospace Center's innovation hub in Ulm. XeedQ is funded by the latter's Quantum Computing Initiative, with a view towards developing a scalable quantum computing technology. 

Quantum computing is often referred to as the second quantum revolution. Goethe University's quantum computer will be located on the historic Bockenheim Campus, where Stern and Gerlach's famous experiment, carried out more than 100 years ago, laid the foundation for today's quantum computing and served as an important part of the first quantum revolution. With its Baby Diamond, Goethe University is paving the way to bring new quantum revolutions back to Frankfurt. 

Further information
Prof. Thomas Lippert
Professor for Modular Supercomputing and Quantum Computing
Institute of Computer Science
Goethe University Frankfurt
E-Mail: t.lippert@em.uni-frankfurt.de


Editor: Dr. Dirk Frank, Press Officer / Deputy Head of PR and Communication, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Phone +49 (0)69 798–13753, frank@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de