A major milestone in
industrial biotechnology has been achieved with the first
commercial shipment of bioethanol. Unlike conventional
ethanol, bioethanol is made not from grain, but from
cellulosic biomass, such as wheat straw, sugar-cane bagasse,
and corn stovers and stalks left over after harvesting.
This green alternative fuel, compatible with current
automobile engines, could significantly reduce greenhouse
gas emissions.
“The commercial
use of industrial enzymes to convert agricultural biomass
into clean motor fuel represents a key breakthrough in our
ability to produce homegrown energy, reducing our reliance
on foreign oil and providing new markets for agriculture
biomass,” said Brent Erickson, vice president of industrial
and environmental biotechnology for the
Biotechnology Industry
Organization (BIO). “This breakthrough means we can grow
our own fuel, and farmers could harvest two crops from every
field—a grain crop and a biomass crop.”
Using this technology, raw
materials such as wood-product manufacturing residues,
municipal solid waste and garden waste could supply more
than 500 million dry tons of biomass—enough to make more
than 50 billion gallons of ethanol, equivalent to
approximately a quarter of current U.S. gasoline
consumption. Another 10 to 15 billion gallons could be
produced from corn stalks and husks and wheat straw,
according to the Biotech 2003 report from Burrill &
Co.
The commercial production
breakthrough reported by a Canadian biotech company, Iogen
Corp., involved using recombinant DNA-produced enzymes to
break apart cellulose—the tough substance that gives plants
their rigidity—to produce sugars. The sugars produced in
such a biorefinery process are used to make greener versions
of ethanol and plastics. Many members of BIO’s Industrial &
Environmental Section are pursuing similar projects.
“This is just one
environmentally friendly application of industrial
biotechnology,” said Erickson. “The benefits of industrial
biotechnology are expanding, from boosting the cleaning
power of laundry detergent to enabling manufacturers to make
everyday products like paper, vitamins and textiles more
efficiently and with a cleaner environmental footprint.”
The full spectrum of
industrial biotechnology applications is under discussion
this week at the inaugural World Congress on Industrial
Biotechnology and Bioprocessing in Orlando, featuring more
than 100 speakers and four tracks of sessions on novel
technologies, environmental impact and policy issues. The
World Congress runs April 21–23 at the Walt Disney World
Swan and Dolphin Resort.
BIO represents more than 1,000
biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state
biotechnology centers and related organizations in all 50
U.S. states and 33 other nations. BIO members are involved
in the research and development of health-care,
agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology
products.
