Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB)

The Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) is a leading research institute positioned at the interface of biological and technical systems. Based in Potsdam, Germany, the ATB works to establish the foundations for a circular, diverse, and sustainable bioeconomy.

The main mission of the ATB is to develop scientific foundations to transform agricultural, food, industrial, and energy systems into a sustainable, bio-based circular economy. The institute is committed to producing healthy food for all, based on renewable raw materials, and promoting the shared health of humans, animals, and the environment – in line with the One Health concept[2][5].

The ATB focuses on several central program areas:

• Diversified Crop Production: Development of digital tools and technologies in conjunction with microbiome management methods to enable the diversification of plant production systems.
• Personalized Animal Husbandry: Development of sustainable solutions in animal husbandry with sensor-based data collection and analysis to ensure global food and nutrition security without causing negative environmental impacts.
• Healthy Food: Development of tailored physical, physicochemical, and biological preparation, processing, and storage methods for fresh food to minimize food losses and improve product quality.
• Multifunctional Biomaterials: Improved utilization of unused biomass resources and waste streams to enhance raw material and energy efficiency and close material cycles.
• Integrated Residual Material Management: Development of new technologies for the provision, treatment, and utilization of residual materials into bio-based energy carriers such as biogas and biochar[2][5].

The ATB is actively committed to sustainability and environmental protection. This includes:

• Bio-based Circular Economy: Development of flexible, site-specific concepts for a bio-based circular economy to address global challenges of food security and climate and environmental protection.
• Digital Technologies: Use of sensors, drones, artificial intelligence (AI), and data science to optimize agro-ecological production systems and increase efficiency in agriculture.
• Paludiculture: Research and innovations for re-wetted peatland sites to explore new possibilities for sustainable land use.
• Bio-based Chemicals and Materials: Development of plastics from bio-waste and other biogenic resources to reduce dependence on fossil raw materials[2][5].

The ATB conducts its research in dialogue with society, policymakers, industry, and other stakeholders. This is done knowledge-driven and application-inspired to develop practice-relevant solutions. International collaborations and workshops, such as the D4AgEcol project workshop, help identify research gaps and jointly initiate forward-looking projects[5].

The Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) is thus a central player in the development of a sustainable and circular bioeconomy that produces healthy food, utilizes renewable resources, and promotes the health of humans, animals, and the environment.

• 1 - https://www.afbw.eu/projekte/natural-fiber-and-biopolymers-bw/matchmaking-plattform/details/leibniz-institut-fuer-agrartechnik-und-biooekonomie-e-v-atb/
• 2 - https://www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/institute/leibniz-institute-alle-listen/leibniz-institut-fuer-agrartechnik-und-biooekonomie
• 3 - https://www.atb-potsdam.de/de/ueber-uns
• 4 - https://www.afbw.eu/projekte/natural-fiber-and-biopolymers-bw/matchmaking-plattform/details/leibniz-institut-fuer-agrartechnik-und-biooekonomie-e-v-atb_45/
• 5 - https://www.atb-potsdam.de/de/