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Biomass, Biofuels, Biomaterials,
and other Environmental Applications
‘White’ biotechnology is the category of biotechnology applications for industrial purposes. Biomass, biofuels, biomaterials, and other environmental applications represent a subset of the myriad of applications of advanced biological sciences research in areas other than human therapeutics.
Biomass involves strategies to improve the yield of organic material – plant and animal products – that can be used for processes such as cooking and industrial uses. Biofuel is fuel that is derived from biomass rather than petroleum. One prevalent category of biofuel is biodiesel, which may be produced from vegetable oils or cellulose fermentation. Biomaterials are the category of materials produced using advanced biological methods, and include textiles, plastics, and paper. General environmental applications include reclamation of contaminated environments, sewage treatment, mineral mining, and oil extraction. One of the keys to developing white biotechnology is to tap existing resources – excess biomass, waste products, and inefficient industrial processes – and develop solutions to capitalize on them. |
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