Solutions explained
Person of contact
Pellegrini Marco
[email protected]Why it matters?
Biotechnology serves as a key element of the bioeconomy, offering advanced solutions and technologies that facilitate sustainable production and the efficient utilisation of biological resources. It can play an important role in helping Europe transition to a safer, more sustainable and climate-neutral future. By using living organisms, like bacteria or plant cells, biotechnology can offer solutions to pressing environmental or industrial challenges. For example, it can turn agricultural waste into low-carbon products, it can use by-products of paper to produce chemicals, aid in the production of enzymes that can speed up and increase selectivity in chemical reactions, it is an important tool in the production of important molecules like antibiotics, amino acids, organic acids, innovative drug treatments and plays an important role in bioremediation.
In the chemical industry, biotechnology can reduce Europe’s reliance on fossil feedstocks. It enables the use of renewable carbon sources from plants, industrial waste, and even the atmosphere and enables the production of chemicals in novel and more sustainable ways. This helps reduce carbon emissions and supports Europe’s transition to a circular economy, where resources are reused and waste is minimised.
By utilizing biotechnology and applying it to manufacturing processes, Europe can produce chemicals, energy, and materials more sustainably. Instead of relying on fossil feedstocks, biotechnology enables the use of waste materials and renewable feedstocks, turning what was once discarded into valuable resources.
Applications of biotechnology in the chemical industry
Biotechnology uses microorganisms to convert different raw materials, ranging from sugars to waste such as municipal organic food waste into valuable products like chemicals and biofuels. Below are explanations of two applications of biotechnology currently used in chemical production.
Using biomass: converting plant waste into valuable materials
Biotechnology enables the use of plant-based materials (lignocellulose) from agricultural and forestry waste. These materials contain cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which can be broken down and used in industrial processes, like bioethanol production.
How it works:
These sugars are then converted into chemicals and used
- Lignocellulosic waste is broken down into its core components.
- Specialised bacteria process the sugars (like xylose) in the waste.
- These sugars are then converted into chemicals and used
This process helps reduce CO� emissions and provides an alternative to fossil-based chemical production.
Biological Carbon Capture and Utilisation: using cyanobacteria to capture CO�
Biological Carbon Capture and Utilisation or “Bio-CCU� refers to the process of using living organisms, such as cyanobacteria, to capture CO� from the atmosphere or industrial emissions and convert it into valuable products like chemicals or biofuels.
How it works:
- Cyanobacteria absorb CO� from the air or from industrial sources.
- Using sunlight, they convert the CO� into chemicals.
- These chemicals are used in a vast array of products
This process helps reduce COâ‚‚emissions and provides an alternative to fossil-based chemical production..
