Moving Toward a Bio-based Economy:

The Role of Bioprocess Engineering

 Bioeconomy
What is the Bioeconomy?

OECD (ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT)

REPORT 2009

The application of biotechnology to primary production, health and industry in order to

contribute to economic output

This involves

The generation of the biotechnical knowledge needed to develop new processes for
producing a range of products

The use of renewable biomass and efficient bioprocesses to achieve sustainable

production

The integrated application of biotechnical knowledge across a range of application

areas
 Bioeconomy: example
Renewable industry feedstocks & intermediaries:
BIOMASS
HEAT
ELECTRICITY
EtOH
CHEMICALS
BIOGAS
HEAT
FUELS
ELECTRICITY
PLASTICS
EtOH
HEAT ……..
CHEMICALS

since ‘900 begining ‘900 late 2000 to present

Biomass: feedstok for a multiproduct industry

 Bioeconomy Sectors

Bioeconomy

Primary
Health Industrial
Production

Pharmaceuticals Chemicals Agriculture

Medical
Energy Marine
biotechnology

Medical
Materials Livestock
technology

Food & drink

(processed)
 Bioeconomy Strategy
Primary production:
Crops, fibre, livestock

Animal and plant therapeutics and diagnostics Biodiversity:
Plants, microbes, 
marine resources 

Phytotherapies and  pharma production

Biomass feedstock
• Large Basic Research
• Capacity and skills 
development
• Technology platforms and 
Centres of Competence
• Pre‐commercial 
infrastructure
• IP management strategies
• Legislation and demand 
support policies
• Appropriate Financing
• Internationalisation
• Biosafety

Health:
Biological and  Industry:
chemical APIs, 
Fine Chemical production Biofuels, bioplastics, 
biosimilars,  bioproducts, unique 
Vaccines, New 
enzymes
therapies, 
diagnostics
Integration across Biotechnology Applications
 The Size of the Bioeconomy
It is estimated that the European bioeconomy has an annual turnover of about € 2 trillion and
employs more than 22 million people and approximately 9% of the total EU workforce.

Sector Annual turnover Bn€ Employment 000s Data source

Food 965 4400 CIAA

Agriculture 381 12000 COPA-COGECA
Eurostat

Paper/Pulp 375 1800 CEPI

Forestry/Wood Ind. 269 3000 CEI-BOIS
Fisheries and Aquaculture 32 500 EC
EU (2012), Innovation for
Sustainable Growth: A Bioeconomy Bio-based industries
for Europe Bio-chemicals and 50 (estimation) 150 (estimation) USDA
plastics Arthur D Little
Festel
McKinsey
CEFI

Enzymes 0.8 (estimation) 5 (estimation) Amfep

Novozymes,
Danisco/Genencor,
DSM

Biofuels 6 150 EBB

eBio

Total 2046 21505

 Global Markets for Chemical Products

USD 1,500 bn USD 310 bn

USD 1,200 bn 650

450 2.5% 170

20.7%

USD 30 bn
16

2001 2010 2001 2010

Chemical products Chemical products using
biotechnology processes

Fine and specialty chemicals Polymers Basic chemicals and intermediates

http://www.cib-frankfurt.de
Switching Jobs - Average Annual Percentage
Gains in Jobs Categories, 2006-2010

Biotechnology

Renewables and environment

 Growth of the Bioeconomy

Creating jobs and maintaining European competitiveness

In order to remain competitive and maintain jobs in the light of major societal
challenges and rising markets in the developing world, the. European bioeconomy
sectors need to innovate and further diversify Significant growth is expected to
arise from sustainable primary production, food processing and industrial
biotechnology and biorefineries, which lead to new bio-based industries,
transform existing ones, and open new markets for bio-based products. New
high skilled jobs and training options need to be developed to meet labour
demands in these industries, as well as in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and
aquaculture.

EC (2012). Innovating for Sustainable Growth: A Bioeconomy for Europe. COM(2012) 60, final. Brussels,
13.2.2012.
 Bioplastics

1800
1600
Biodegradable (incl. 
1400 non‐biobased) 714
1,000 1200 Durable (biobased)
Metric
Tons 1000
800
600
428 996
400
200 295 296
174
0
6 23
2008 2009 2010 2015
European Bioplastics,  May 2011

European Bioplastics latest update: levels expected to rise from 1.2 million to 5.8 million
tonnes over next 5 years
 Why bio-economy is needed?
U.S. imports 56% of its Petroleum Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration

Million Barrels per Day 14

12
10
8
6
4
2
0

Renewables Commercial
7.7% 16.4%
Natural Gas Industry
Nuclear 23% 36.9%
7.9%
Residential
Sources 19.7%
Uses
Coal
Petroleum 22.3%
39.1% Transportation
27%
Trends in peak oil reserves….
Mounting waste – huge inefficiencies in
current manufacture and consumption…

93% of production materials do not end up in

saleable products

80% of products are discarded after a single use

99% of materials used in the production of, or

contained within goods, are discarded in the
first six weeks
…but the issue is about more than this – it is also about new raw material resources not
drawn from fossil fuels. In other words, bio-based feedstocks, coupled with process
intensification, waste management and recycling using a “cradle to cradle” approach…

This issue was addressed in the

recently published RSC Road
Map (2009) -

Three key issues

 …and a key message is found there

…development of a bioeconomy does

NOT involve a rejection of
chemistry per se, but scientists and New wine in old bottles!
engineers of many disciplines are
needed together to provide the
innovation we need for a truly
sustainable and competitive future
which is built on a
BIOECONOMY…..

[From: “Connecting Biomass and Petroleum Processing with a Chemical Bridge”, J J Bozell, Science vol.329, 522 (2010)]]
 Bio-based Technologies

Technologies that employ at least one process step

involving engineered or natural living entity and/or biocatalyst
to produce chemicals/ fuels/materials or feed.

~280 million tons of waste biomass is generated in U.S every

year – enough to meet domestic industrial chemicals and liquid
transportation fuel needs…
NRC (National Research Council) 2000
 Renewable Bioproducts Vision

Fossil-Based Vision Goals:

Plant-Based
Feedstock distribution

Achieve 10% of basic

chemical building blocks
from plant-derived
sources, with concepts
in place to achieve 50%
by 2050
Today 2020 2050

Time
 Example: A Different Way to Produce Light
Olefins

Petrochemistry Synthetic biology

Yesterday : Olefins: a group of 6 Tomorrow :

Fossil molecules that are the Renewable
resources main building blocks in resources
chemistry

1 2 3 4 5 6
Ethylene Propylene N-Butenes Butadiene Isoprene Isobutene

Courtesy of Global Bioenergies, Evry, France
19
BIOREFINERY

BIOREFINERY
Production site of
chemicals, fuels and
materials all derived from
renweable feedstocks

Source:
 Biorefinery Iowa perspective

Feedstocks Technologies Market

Residues:
Thermo-Chemical Intermediary Products
 Combustion Biosynthesis gas
Ag, MSW
 Gasification/Pyrolysis Organic Acids
 Chemistry/Catalysis Methanol
Commodity: Separations Tech.
Ethanol
Corn, oil seed
Hydrogen

Herbaceous: Final Products

Switchgrass Bio-Chemical
Heat/Steam
 Hydrolysis Electricity
Woody:  Fermentation
Plastic
Poplar,willow  Biocataysis
Chemicals

Fuels
 The Biorefinery
Industrial Products sector
and environmental

Sustainable Environmental
Industrial applications
Management

Biobased Bio-
Bioenergy Water Waste
chemicals materials
Bulk and
speciality
chemicals Biodiesel
Bioremediation Bioleaching
Biocatalysts Biocomposites Bioethanol of domestic and
Biometallurgy
Biocontrol Biopolymers Biobutanol industrial
products wastewater Biosorption
Biogas
Additives

Enabling technologies
Synthetic and structural biology
Functional genomics
 Biorefinery Products (details)

End-Uses
Products
– Plastics
– Functional Monomers
– Solvents
– Chemical Intermediates
– Phenolics
– Adhesives
– Hydraulic Fluids
– Fatty acids
Plant Production Processing – Carbon black
Science – Trees - Acid/enzymatic – Paints
– Grasses hydrolysis – Dyes, Pigments, and Ink
– Genomics
– Agricultural - Fermentation – Detergents
– Enzymes
Crops - Bioconversion – Paper
– Metabolism
– Agricultural - Chemical Conversion – Horticultural products
– Composition
Residues - Gasification – Fiber boards
– Animal Wastes - Combustion – Solvents
– Municipal Solid - Co-firing – Adhesives
Waste – Plastic filler
– Abrasives
Fuel
Power
 Economy of an oil barrel

Fuel for a
1000 Km Ethylene glycol 21 T-shirts
trip ethylene 276 m² transparent film or
polyethylene 146 m gas pipes
4 bottles boxes or
polypropilene 30 rotoli di spago
propiyline
21 jumpers
achrilonytrile
5 coperte
1 OIL
1 car tyre or
BARREL
Butadyene 13 bycicle tyres
& butens elastomers 3 camere d'aria per auto o
17 camere d'aria per bicicl.

aromatics caprolactam 500 paia di collant

Nafta 72 L
source: BP Chemicals
Corn field economy
Comparison of Biorefineries to Oil Refineries

Comparison Biorefinery Oil Refinery

Impact on Primary Benefits Benefits U.S.and
Producers U.S.Farmers Foreign producers

Technical stage Early Mature

National Security Less dependence Greater dependence

Environmental effects Largely positive to Many negatives

neutral
The POET Ethanol plant in Emmetsburg, IA - a 50 million gallon first
generation corn ethanol plant that is co-located with the 25 million
gallon Project LIBERTY, POET's first cellulosic ethanol commercial-
scale plant September 22, 2010
 IMPACTS OF BIOREFINERIES

Climate Change
EU target of greenhouse gases reduction by 2020

Security in energy supply

Reducing dependency on fossil fuels
Biofuels?

Creation of new jobs

2005- 120,000
2020- 380,000

New regulatory and other measures

Development of policy on transgenic technologies
Informed green public procurement policy
 Successful example: Polylactic Acid PLA)
STARTING

Recoverable wastes
to fermentation……
SWEET DEAL Confectionery wrap is one application for
Cargill Dow's NatureWorks polylactic acid resin, the first
synthetic polymer produced from an annually renewable
resource-corn-derived dextrose.
CARGILL-DOW PHOTO (2002)
DuPont Sorona® «3GT» First of a Family
 Potential conflict applies to making materials
from bio-derived sources......for example…
Is the solution just an accelerated evolution from fossil fuel dependency
to an economy based primarily on bio-fuels?

Fossil Fuels

Biofuels

Almost certainly NOT, because of the pressures to also increase

food production enormously from now to 2050….
 ......for example…

• Genencor, a Division of Danisco, has developed technology for

manufacturing isoprene from sugar cane, corn, corn cobs,
switchgrass or other biomass, involving

Microbial strain
development Large scale
fermentation Recovery and
purification

• The vision is that all Goodyear tyres will be manufactured from

this bio-isoprene

• Manufacturing a conventional tyre requires seven gallons of

petroleum feedstock per tyre. Using bio-isoprene would reduce
that down to then close to zero – but the preferred source
should be waste biomass (possible only in the long term)
The Italian Scenario
Red biotech

Green biotech

White biotech