Bioplastic to polymerise industrial biotechnology.

AS THE 3rd WAVE IN BIOTECHNOLOGY industrial biotechnology has attracted a great deal of attention as a potentially important tool in facilitating the paradigm shift from fossil to bio-based production.

Previously, interests in things such as biodegradable plastics and enzyme efficiency were limited and industrial expertise centred primarily to chemical companies, which was why the scope of innovation was narrow and the time frame was long.

Now, interest in industrial biotechnology, also known as white biotechnology, is coming from diverse group of researchers and industries, which will help accelerate the pace that scientific knowledge accumulates and broaden the range of commercial applications for this science.

For several decades, plastics derived from fossil fuels have grown at a faster rate than any other group of bulk materials, and expectations are that this high growth trend will continue until 2020.

As a more viable and promising alternative, bio-based plastics (bioplastics) or …