biotechnology

If developed to its full potential, industrial biotechnology sourced from agricultural crops may have a larger impact on the world than health care and agricultural biotechnology. It offers businesses a way to reduce costs and create new markets while protecting the environment. Today new industrial biotechnology processes can be taken from laboratory study to commercial application in two to five years, compared up to a decade for drugs,” said Erickson.

Through recombinant DNA technology, he continued, scientists can use micro-organisms in new and exciting ways to manufacture polymers, vitamins, enzymes and transportation fuel. By harnessing the natural power of enzymes, industrial biotech companies can work with nature to move from a petroleum-based economy to a bio-based one.

Scientists have already succeeded in producing a polymer, polylactic acid (PLA), from maize kernels to manufacture products such as clothing, carpeting, bedding, upholstery and plastic – from which in turn car parts, eating utensils, cups and golf tees, among many others, are produced. The plastic is biodegradable and can be composted instead of being disposed of in landfills or incinerators.