Biotech's Third Wave
Feb 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Peg Zenk
It was first applied in medicine, then in agriculture. Now biotechnology is being used to improve manufacturing processes. This third wave of the science — referred to as industrial biotech — again involves some of the crops you plant and may affect what you grow in the future.
Some products from these processes have already made their way to market. For example, crop-based enzymes are being used to decrease the trans fat content in food, and corn-based polymers are the basis for biodegradable food packaging.
The new industrial biotech processes, using more renewable resources for ingredients, are generally cheaper and have less impact on the environment. Often they reduce the need for petroleum-based energy sources, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and even reducing water use.
Although the science of developing more renewable ingredient sources has been in the works for decades, the economics of using them have only begun to pencil out in the last few years.
Oil cost is catalyst
The high cost of oil has given bio-based research the boost it needed, says Paul Winters, spokesperson for Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), a major trade organization for the biotech industry. “Most manufacturers are looking for ways to replace petroleum products in their processing, as well as lower their energy requirements. And recent record-high oil costs are making these bio-based alternatives more economical,” he says.
The other driver of industrial biotechnology is growing concern for the environmental impacts of manufacturing. “In most cases, these bio-based enzymes and polymers, when used in the manufacturing process, lower the amount of greenhouse gases emitted, generate less heat and release fewer toxic chemicals into the air and water,” Winter says.
Often, industrial biotech uses the same tools as medical and agricultural biotech. “So much work in both medical and industrial biotech research deals with enzymes and other proteins, so there is often overlap,” he notes.
Such is the case with the process used to make new NovaLipid low-trans-fat oils, developed by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). By replacing chemicals with natural enzymes, the company's researchers found a new way to “interestify” soybean and other vegetable oils, which decreases the trans-fat content, without sacrificing the functional benefits of hydrogenated oils. This new process greatly reduces the amount of chemicals and water needed to produce zero- and low-trans-fat oils. So the end product is more appealing to consumers, and the processing is cheaper for ADM.
Corn offers versatility
Corn has become a major building block for many of these new industrial developments. “It's a natural place to start since it travels well, can be grown anywhere and its sugar content lends itself to lots of chemical processes,” says Richard Glass, vice president of research and business development for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA). “The key benefit to using corn for many of these processes is that, in many cases, it provides a one-for-one replacement for petrochemicals, and that makes the manufacturing process cheaper.”
An example is Cargill's NatureWorks PLA (polylacticide) process, which ferments corn sugars into lactic acid that is used to create the clear plastic PLA. The product is being molded into bottles, food containers and trays, films and other packaging materials that are biodegradable. A plant in Blair, NE, produces more than 3 million pounds of PLA a year, and the company claims it does so using 68% less fossil fuel than it takes to make traditional plastics.
Another new example is the Sorona polymer, also made by fermenting corn glucose. DuPont and renewable ingredient maker Tate and Lyle are using the resulting PDO (1,3 propanediol) polymer to spin fibers that can be made into fabrics for garments, carpeting and plastics.
“And that's just the beginning,” says Dawson Winch, global product manager for Sorona. “We're exploring a whole range of applications for this polymer, from personal products like shampoos and lotions, to industrial deicers.”
The two companies have formed a joint venture and built a plant in Louden, TN, which will begin in early 2007 to turn 6 million bushels of corn into 100,000 lbs. of what they call Bio-PDO, annually. “This new process will save 10 million gallons of gasoline per year at just this one plant,” Winch says. “Overall, it will require as much as 40% less energy to make than petroleum-based PDO.”
Along with energy savings and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, the new polymer delivers some important end product improvements, Winch adds. “The fabric made with Bio-PDO takes dye more readily, can be blended with natural fibers like wool and cotton, is stretchier, and is more resistant to UV and chlorine damage,” she says.
“Anywhere we currently use nylon or polyester, we could consider using Bio-PDO instead, so the potential market for this type of product could be huge.”
Corn demand for such industrial uses is already on the rise. Three years ago, the amount of corn used for industrial purposes was only 4 to 5% of the total U.S. production, Glass notes. But this year that amount has grown to 17 to 18%.
He says that, from the 80 million acres of corn now grown in the United States, enough can be spared for industrial purposes. “We're not now, nor will we be in the future, limited by the number of corn acres,” he contends. “Biotech modifications can increase yields enough to help producers get more per acre. The yield increases over the last 20 years, alone, are evidence that we're consistently making major progress there.”
He sites NCGA figures showing average corn yield was 106 bu./acre in 1984, 138 bu./acre in 1994, and 160 bu./acre in 2004. Based on a 15-year trend line (between 1990 and 2004), NCGA projects average corn yields to hit 162 bu./acre by 2010 and 173 bu./acre by 2015. “We're confident U.S. farmers will be able to grow enough corn to meet the needs of these new industrial uses,” Glass says.
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