What is White Biotechnology?
White Biotechnology – also known
as Industrial Biotech - is the use of living cells and their enzymes to create
industrially useful products from renewable resources. Sometimes these
products are simply enzymes that can replace chemicals in various industrial
processes. In other cases, the product is something that is traditionally made
using fossil fuels, such as plastics and other polymers.
White biotechnology processes are more environmentally sustainable because
they typically use less energy and create less waste or because the products
are more biodegradable than the traditional industrial chemicals they replace.
This reduces their environmental impact on the planet.
How could DSM help turn Christmas trees into car fuel?
A
vitally important area for DSM is the use of white biotechnology as a platform
for the development of what is known as second generation biofuels,
biochemicals and biopolymers.
DSM is working to create practical solutions for the biorefineries of the
future, using sources that are not in conflict with food and feed supplies.
This route is referred to as ”Second Generation Biotechnology”. At the present
time, micro-organisms can be grown only on the basis of sugar or starch (from
corn cobs, for example). This is known as “First Generation Biotechnology”. In
the longer term, large-scale use of these sources could lead to scarcity in
the global food market.
To get from “First Generation” to “Second Generation”, we need to find ways of
recovering sugars from what is currently disposed of as agricultural waste
(hence the example of Christmas trees we have used here ) and then train
micro-organisms to eat the sugars extracted from this waste.
While the extraction of these sugars has been successfully trialed at lab
scale, we estimate that it will take another two to three years before
production on industrial scale is practicable. DSM is investing significantly
to advance “Second Generation” technology.
Christmas trees – did you know….?
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It has been estimated that approximately 200 million Christmas trees are
bought each year worldwide.
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More than 65 million Christmas trees are sold in Europe each year.
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The numerous Christmas tree recycling programs available globally – there are
more than 4000 programs in the US alone - are almost exclusively designed to
turn discarded trees into compost.
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Of the 8 million real Christmas trees sold in the UK this year, approximately
4 million are expected to be recycled for compost.
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In the UK, around 25,000 hectares of Christmas trees are currently grown -
that's over twice the size of the City of Manchester.
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In the UK, sales of rooted Christmas trees have grown a thousandfold in five
years.
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In the US, around 93% of real Christmas trees are recycled for compost each
year.
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Meanwhile, sales of artificial trees in the US have nearly doubled from 2005
(9.3 million) to 2007 (17.4 million).
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In the Netherlands, many of the discarded Christmas trees that are collected
are burned in special ovens and this creates harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
Background to White Biotechnology
Soaring energy prices,
concerns about climate change, and escalating fossil fuel-based raw material
costs have fostered increased interest in White Biotechnology. Activities and
opportunities in this field – replacing conventional chemical processes – are
rapidly growing due to recent technology breakthroughs and increasing
awareness of the advantages in terms of costs and environmental impact.
Promises are becoming reality and biotechnology is today increasingly applied
in the search for bio-based products.
The use of low-value biomass (such as switchgrass and corn stover) as
feedstocks will facilitate the cost-effective operation of large-scale
biorefineries to meet growing commercial demand for biofuels, bio-based
chemicals and other bio-derived end products. This will increase energy
independence, reduce carbon emissions, and transform the chemical
manufacturing industry in a responsible and sustainable manner. White
Biotechnology is one of DSM’s key Emerging Business Areas.
In 2008 DSM received a grant from the US Department of Energy for
biotechnology research. The grant will fund an extensive enzyme development
program which focuses on finding applications in cellulose-based biorefineries
for the production of bio-based products, including ”Second Generation”
biofuels. The research will be carried out by a technical consortium in which
DSM will be the lead partner.
Early September 2008, DSM was again named as one of the global sector leaders
in SHE and sustainability in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (SAM). DSM
actively pursues its sustainability strategy in the context of its Triple P
approach, focusing on opportunities and providing sustainable solutions to its
customers. One of the spearheads with regard to DSM’s Triple P policy is the
drive towards further developments of white biotech, industrial production
with fermentation based processes involving micro-organisms and enzymes.
The wider market
According to McKinsey’s expectations a total
of EUR 170 (USD 250) billion in chemicals sales, being 10% of all chemical
sales, will be bio-dependent in 2010/2011. Currently, some 20% of DSM’s sales
are related to biotechnology.
The estimated market size for ethanol in 2010 is USD 50 billion. The enzyme,
yeast and other micro-organism part for this market is estimated to be above
USD 0.5 billion in 2010, with rapid growth thereafter for the second
generation process.
