Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB)
The Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) is researching at the interface of biological and technical systems. Research aims to create the foundations for a circular, sustainable and diverse bioeconomy that enables the transformation of agricultural, food and other industrial and energy systems based on renewable resources. The focus is on healthy food for all and the realisation of the One Health concept for humans, animals and the environment.
Combining high-level basic research with a strong application orientation, ATB develops and integrates new technologies and management strategies to control the production of biomass and its utilisation for food, as bio-based products and energy sources in a knowledge-based, temporally and spatially differentiated and increasingly automated manner. The adaptable, site-specific concepts for a bio-based circular economy developed at ATB contribute to meeting the global challenges of food security and climate and environmental protection on a local and individual level.
Programme Areas:
Diversified Crop Production: Technological and process engineering research in the field of primary production of plant biomass - development of digital tools and technologies in combination with microbiome management methods to enable the diversification of high-yield crop production systems
Individualised Livestock Production: Development and integration of sustainable solutions in livestock production for ensuring global food and nutrition security with minimal negative impact on the environment - from sensor-based data collection and analysis using data science methods, to modelling and the development of optimised process management in line with the One Health concept.
Healthy Food: Development of tailor-made physical, physicochemical and/or biological methods of preparation, processing and storage of fresh food (e.g. fruit, vegetables, cereals, feed silage, meat) through the development and use of sensors, mathematical models, learning algorithms and data-driven control strategies - minimising food loss and waste while improving product quality and safety.
Multifunctional Biomaterials: Improved utilisation of all underused (non-food) biomass resources, plant components and waste streams to improve the raw material and energy efficiency of all steps in biomass processing and conversion and close material cycles - development of new process technologies and process optimisations with the help of artificial intelligence, sensor-based processing and process modelling.
Integrated Residue Management: Development of new technologies and processes for the provision, treatment and utilisation of residues, including processing into bio-based energy sources (e.g. biogas, biochar) - includes modelling and knowledge-based control of complex residue conversion processes, as well as ecological and economic evaluation.
Contact
Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik und Bioökonomie Max-Eyth-Allee 100
14469 Potsdam
T +49 0331 / 56 99 - 0 atb@atb-potsdam.de
