Nachrichten aus der Chemie (2025) 73, p. 37 – 39 (in English)
Sorting cells by Raman fingerprint
1. October 2025
Nachrichten aus der Chemie (2025) 73, p. 37 – 39 (in English) Raman article
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymben.2023.06.007
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.greenca.2023.08.001
https://www.guanhai.com.cn/p/39 4312.html
Trans-aconitic acid TAA (CAS RN 4023-65-8) is an unsaturated tricarboxylic acid that occurs in various plants. Although it exhibits broad application potential in agriculture, food, biomaterials, and green chemistry, its practical use remains limited. This is primarily because the traditional production processes of plant extraction (from sugar cane)and chemical synthesis (complex and inefficient) cannot achieve large-scale production at a low cost.
Researchers around LU Xuefeng, director of the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have now established a cell factory for the production of TAA based on a genome-edited industrial strain of Aspergillus terreus. Several rounds of metabolic engineering resulted in strains which produced 57 g/L TAA in shake flask cultures. Scale-up to tank fermentations up to 120 kL – in cooperation with Shandong Lukang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.– then led to yields of 88 g/L after 100 hours. A simple recovery procedure combining membrane concentration and crystallization provided TAA crystals with a purity of 98.4%. Given its superior nematicidal properties, QIBEBT and Lukang Pharmaceutical are now in the process of registering TAA as a new nematicide biopesticide.
The QIBEBT team has further found that TAA esters (trans-Aconitates) can be used as plasticizers and could replace the ambiguous phthalates widely used in plastic products. Haier Blood Technology Co., a Qingdao-based company, plans to use TAA esters as plasticizers in its PVC-based blood bags and other products.
TAA ester’s wide temperature stability, from -46°C to 120°C, might also find applications in automotive cable materials as they exhibit excellent resistance to high-temperature volatilization and low-temperature brittle cracking.
In summary, biomanufacturing based on smart cells of A. terreus has provided a new material, TAA and TAA esters, which offer exciting application potentials as a biopesticide and a non-toxic bioplasticizer.
https://spc.jst.go.jp/news/250903/topic_2_03.html
A “China Blue Carbon 2025” Blue Book was released in Qingdao. The Blue Book project was led by the Marine Carbon Neutrality Center of the Ocean University of China, and had invited more than 70 experts and scholars from over 30 institutions in China and abroad to conduct joint special research.
The blue paper predicts that carbon dioxide absorption by China’s blue carbon ecosystems has been on the rise for over the past decade, reaching 500 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2035, at which point China will play a central role in global blue carbon contributions. By 2025, China’s total mangrove area will be approximately 303 square kilometers, with a total carbon storage of 6.03 million tons; seagrass beds will be approximately 265 square kilometers, with a total carbon storage of 2.3 million tons; and coastal salt marshes will be approximately 2,980 square kilometers, with a total carbon storage of 91.55 million tons.
The paper also notes that carbon absorption by shellfish and algae farming in China’s coastal waters has increased over the past 20 years. At the same time, China’s marine energy has also developed, with its offshore wind power capacity now number one in the world and its marine primary and secondary industries achieving “carbon minus” status.
According to the president of Ocean University of China, the university aims to achieve synergistic effects on the ecosystem, society, and economy by developing seagrass bed restoration technology, to building a blue carbon resource survey and calculation system, and even developing technologies to track and treat the sources of coastal pollutants.
https://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0826/c90000-20357342.html
An ultra zero-carbon building, the headquarters of EV charging pile network operator TELD New Energy, was opened in Qingdao. It is quipped with cutting-edge high-tech solutions to achieve 100 percent green energy substitution.
http://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/life/202508/t20250801_1048868.shtml
https://biotechnologyforbiofuels.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13068-025-02677-8
A team at CAS Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) has developed a lipid-rich mutant strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for microbial production of palmitoleic acid— a rare omega-7 fatty acid with proven anti-inflammatory and metabolic benefits.
The team used a combined mutagenesis approach—employing zeocin, an antibiotic-based mutagen, and Atmospheric and Room Temperature Plasma (ARTP)—to create a diverse library of yeast mutants. They then deployed FlowRACS, a Raman flow cytometry system, to select live yeast cells with elevated lipid levels by analyzing their intrinsic single-cell Raman spectra, eliminating the need for chemical stains or genetic reporters.
This method identified the mutant strain MU2R48, which achieved a lipid content of 40.26%—a 30.85% increase over its parental strain SC018—while maintaining similar biomass production.
Photo: Raman flow cytometry efficiently identifies lipid-rich Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants from a Zeocin–ARTP-induced library. (Image by QIBEBT)
Registration is open: https://conf.sciencemate.com/ICGC2025
ICGC aims to provide an interdisciplinary academic exchange platform and academic community for scientific and technological innovation in the area of CO2 emission reduction and sustainable development. The conference will focus on carbon resources, carbon conversion technologies, carbon life cycle management, and breakthrough developments in green carbon science.
Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, CAS/Shandong Energy Institute (QIBEBT/SEI) is a research institute that is active in science and technology developments of bioenergy, fossil energy, hydrogen energy, energy storage devices, and energy informatics, see http://english.qibebt.cas.cn
https://j.people.com.cn/n3/2025/0627/c95952-20333735.html
The tugboat was designed and built by Shandong Port Qingdao Port Group Co., Ltd. and is equipped with a hybrid system of “hydrogen fuel cells + liquid-cooled lithium batteries” to achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions. It can sail for more than 12 hours at a speed of 9 knots and has a towing force of 82 tons. With technologies such as fully automatic smart on-shore charging, it has become the country’s largest port tugboat in terms of horsepower and lithium battery capacity.
https://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0530/c98649-20322033.html
A platform on real-scene 3D modeling of the city of Qingdao was launched in March 2021 under the leadership of the Qingdao Institute of Survey and Mapping
Qingdao’s varied topography – marked by hilly terrain and dramatic elevation changes – necessitated the use of oblique aerial imaging to capture raw imagery and build an accurate 3D model. The project team deployed manned fixed-wing aircraft equipped with 150-megapixel, five-lens oblique aerial cameras. The aerial survey covered the entire urban area, achieving a ground resolution of 15 centimeters and maintaining more than 70 percent image overlap to maximize accuracy.
In March 2022, following expert review, the project was officially launched for citywide application. Today, the platform covers Qingdao’s entire land area – 11,000 square kilometers – as well as 800 kilometers of coastline, 49 bays, and seven inhabited islands.
The 3D simulation platform has been shared with over 60 municipal departments. It supports more than 100 key functions, including disaster prevention and mitigation, urban planning, social governance, and urban renewal. The platform also underpins over 70 digital government service applications and records nearly 100 million uses annually. As an example, at the bureau’s headquarters, staff members examined two versions of a digital model for a former mining site in Qingdao’s West Coast New Area. The comparison revealed tangible signs of ecological restoration – more vegetation and a gentler slope. Qingdao is home to 898 legacy mine sites. In the past, inspecting these sites required a full month of on-the-ground efforts. Now, with the help of the 3D model, the same work takes just five days.
Since 2023, the city has carried out annual temporal updates to the city-scale 3D simulation platform, enabling it to track urban changes with precision and support data-driven lysis and evidence-based planning.
http://english.qibebt.cas.cn/ne/rp/202504/t20250407_909473.html
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.4c18730
A research team from the CAS Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) has introduced a novel membrane design that mimics biological protein channels to enhance proton transport for efficient energy harvesting. Inspired by the ClC-ec1 antiporter found in Escherichia coli, which facilitates the movement of chloride (Cl⁻) and protons, the researchers developed a hybrid membrane composed of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) integrated with aramid nanofibers (ANFs). This ANF/COF composite forms a robust hydrogen-bonding network and features amide groups that selectively bind to Cl⁻ ions, significantly lowering the energy barrier for proton conduction.
In acidic environments, adding just 0.1% Cl⁻ ions (relative to protons) increased the membrane’s proton permeation rate threefold, reaching 9.8 mol m⁻² h⁻¹ for the efficient migration of H⁺ ions. Under simulated acidic wastewater conditions, the ANF/COF membrane achieved an output power density of 434.8 W m⁻²—one of the highest reported to date for osmotic energy generation. It also showed structural stability over 9,000 minutes (~150 hours) of operation in highly acidic media.
Trans-aconitic acid from Aspergillus terreus – a new biopesticide and bio-based plasticizer
26. September 2025
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymben.2023.06.007 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.greenca.2023.08.001 https://www.guanhai.com.cn/p/39 4312.html Trans-aconitic acid TAA (CAS RN 4023-65-8) is an unsaturated tricarboxylic acid that occurs in various plants. Although it exhibits broad application potential in agriculture, food, biomaterials, and green chemistry,
Ocean University of China in Qingdao publishes Blue Book on marine CO2 absorption
18. September 2025
https://spc.jst.go.jp/news/250903/topic_2_03.html A “China Blue Carbon 2025” Blue Book was released in Qingdao. The Blue Book project was led by the Marine Carbon Neutrality Center of the Ocean University of China, and had invited more
TELD New Energy opens ultra zero-carbon building in Qingdao
2. September 2025
https://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0826/c90000-20357342.html An ultra zero-carbon building, the headquarters of EV charging pile network operator TELD New Energy, was opened in Qingdao. It is quipped with cutting-edge high-tech solutions to achieve 100 percent green energy
A lipid-rich baker’s yeast mutant provides high yields of palmitoleic acid
4. August 2025
http://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/life/202508/t20250801_1048868.shtml https://biotechnologyforbiofuels.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13068-025-02677-8 A team at CAS Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) has developed a lipid-rich mutant strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for microbial production of palmitoleic acid— a rare omega-7 fatty acid
Sept. 13 – 16, 2025: 2nd International Conference on Green Carbon in Qingdao and online
29. July 2025
Registration is open: https://conf.sciencemate.com/ICGC2025 ICGC aims to provide an interdisciplinary academic exchange platform and academic community for scientific and technological innovation in the area of CO2 emission reduction and sustainable development. The conference
A hydrogen-powered tugboat in Qingdao port
6. July 2025
https://j.people.com.cn/n3/2025/0627/c95952-20333735.html The tugboat was designed and built by Shandong Port Qingdao Port Group Co., Ltd. and is equipped with a hybrid system of “hydrogen fuel cells + liquid-cooled lithium batteries” to achieve zero
Qingdao operates an advanced 3D city map for smart urban management
9. June 2025
https://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0530/c98649-20322033.html A platform on real-scene 3D modeling of the city of Qingdao was launched in March 2021 under the leadership of the Qingdao Institute of Survey and Mapping Qingdao’s varied topography – marked
Sustainable energy harvesting from acidic wastewater through a COF-stabilized aramid nanofiber composite membrane
11. May 2025
http://english.qibebt.cas.cn/ne/rp/202504/t20250407_909473.html https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.4c18730 A research team from the CAS Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) has introduced a novel membrane design that mimics biological protein channels to enhance proton transport for efficient
A biomimetic membrane allows lithium ion separation by electrodialysis
2. May 2025
http://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/chem/202504/t20250427_1042154.shtml https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59188-1 A research team led by Prof. GAO Jun from the CAS Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) , in collaboration with researchers from Qingdao University, has developed an innovative
Launch of a mobile deep-sea aquaculture vessel in Qingdao
22. April 2025
http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0418/c90000-20304151.html A 150,000-tonne deep-sea intelligent aquaculture vessel was delivered for use in Qingdao. The ship is 244.9 meters long and houses 15 breeding cabins with a total water holding capacity of nearly 100,000 cubic
QIBEBT-led consortium achieves bacterial degradation of PET bottles to provide terephtalic acid in 97% yield
23. March 2025
http://english.qibebt.cas.cn/ne/rp/202502/t20250218_902019.html https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S030438942500353X?via%3Dihub https://enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1751-7915.13580 A research team from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Nanjing Tech University and Greifswald University, has introduced an
An exosceleton for mounting climbing tested at Taishan mountain, Qingdao
7. February 2025
http://j.people.com.cn/n3/2025/0207/c517455-20273369.html https://www.recordchina.co.jp/b948125-s6-c20-d0189.html During the Chinese New Year holiday, a mountain climbing support robot jointly developed by Taishan Wenlun Group and Shenzhen Kenqi Technology Co. was test-introduced in the Taishan Scenic Area. Guangming reported.
A deep-sea salmon farming facility near Qingdao
24. January 2025
https://jp.news.cn/20250116/9dc88fa0753f468da2fc4772c53548ec/c.html?page=1 In a large-scale deep sea smart fishery farming facility “Deep Blue 2” in the Qingdao National Deep Sea and Ocean Green Aquaculture Test Area, approximately 400,000 salmon are farmed in farming cages,
A combination of FISH and Raman sequencing allows for enzyme detection in environmental samples
18. January 2025
http://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/life/202501/t20250110_898273.shtml https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100759 A new technology termed FISH-scRACS-seq (Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization-guided Single-Cell Raman-activated Sorting and Sequencing) combines species-targeting fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with Raman spectroscopy, allowing for the direct identification and isolation—from environmental samples—of
World’s first carbon fiber metro train in Qingdao
11. January 2025
http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0110/c90000-20264742.html The world’s first carbon fiber metro train named “CETROVO 1.0 Carbon Star Express began passenger service on the Metro Line 1 of Qingdao, Shandong Province. The debut of the carbon fiber metro
Research Centers and universities in Qingdao (incomplete list)
15. December 2024
R&D institutions CAS Institute of Oceanology http://english.qdio.cas.cn/Internation/gjwyh/ CAS Center for Ocean Megascience http://www.coms.ac.cn/home/ CAS Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Environmental Technology QIBEBT http://www.qibebt.cas.cn Shandong Energy Institute https://english.cas.cn/Special_Reports/Dual_Carbon_CAS_in_Action/Org/202204/t20220402_303477.shtml Shandong University National Research Center for
Evonik and Vland Biotech form JV in Qingdao on animal gut health products
18. November 2024
http://www.vlandbiochem.com/article-5545-10977.html On March 14, 2024, Evonik Vland Biotech (Shandong) Co., Ltd. was put into operation in Qingdao, China. The joint venture of Evonik China Co., Ltd. and Shandong Vland Biotech Co., Ltd. aims
Professor Juergen Popp, University of Jena, gives talk at QIBEBT on “Translational Biophotonics”
18. November 2024
http://english.qibebt.cas.cn/ne/ns/202310/t20231027_397294.html On Oct. 27, 2024, Prof. Juergen Popp Speaks, director of the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology and chair for Physical Chemistry at Friedrich-Schiller University, gave a talk at QIBEBT Distinguished Expert Forum
QIBEBT: novel electro catalyst offers hydrogen production from seawater
16. November 2024
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.checat.2024.101169 https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/chem/202411/t20241111_694029.shtml Seawater electrolysis has long been seen as a promising pathway for sustainable hydrogen production but has faced significant limitations due to chloride ion (Cl⁻) corrosion, which can degrade a catalyst’s performance.
Green Carbon co-organizes 17th International Clostridium Conference
12. November 2024
http://qibebt.cas.cn/news/zyxw/202409/t20240922_7378447.html From September 19th to 22nd, the 17th International Clostridium Conference was held in Qingdao, hosted by the International Clostridium Conference Organizing Committee, supported by the Bioenergy Research Laboratory of Qingdao Institute of
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