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28 BIoteCHnoLoGY According to estimates, the chemical industry generates about 7 percent of its sales revenues in biotechnology. Major segments are biofuels, plant extracts, and natural rubber € billions 1,745 (100%) Sales chemical industry 2008 Bio-dependent sales 2008 1,619 (93%) elements35 Issue 2|2011 126 (7%) Share in biotechnology sales in € billions 1 In 2008 only selected regions of world markets available; updated based on 2010 split 1 3 2 5 4 7 9 18 37 40 Product class Biofuels Plant extracts 1 Natural rubber Food/feed ingredients Pharmaceutical ingredients Oleochemicals Polyols Enzymes Bioplastics Others ‘The Pull’ of the U.S. Renewable Fuels Standard ‘The pull’ has advanced worldwide technology innovation that continues to evolve and improve through government funding and led to increase venture capital and public and private company funding Mrd. Liter 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 2006 Examples Ethanol Biodiesel Hydrocolloids (gums, industrial starches, etc.) Essential oils Flavors and fragrances Rubber (isoprene, etc.) Organic acids (citric acid, lactic acid, etc.) Amino acids Vitamins Enzymatic APIs Biologics Natural fatty acids Fatty alcohol Surfactants Sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol Glycerol Detergent enzymes Grain processing enzymes PLA, PHA Starch based plastics, etc. Other specialties R&D services Renewable fuels 1 (unclassified) – 1st generation Advanced biofuels 2 – 3rd & 4th generation Biomass-based biodiesel 3 Cellulosic biofuels 4 – 2nd generation Source: SRI, F.O. Licht, Frost & Sullivan, Press search 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 1 Includes all types of biofuel 2 Biofuels other than corn-based ethanol with GHG savings >50% 3 Biodiesel with GHG savings >50% 4 Lignocellulosic biofuel with GHG savings >60% GRAPHIC: MCKINSEY & COMPANY GRAPHIC: CARGILL Quelle: U.S. Renewable Fuels Standard
333 particularly since the situation could change several times over the course of the years, depending on the trend in raw mate rial prices. Moreover, biotechnologically produced chemicals are not necessarily superior when it comes to reducing CO2 emissions. It depends on the method of production. On the other hand, the legislation enacted in recent years and government subsidies have unquestionably favored advancement of biotechnology. “Because of these measures, there is a good chance that the scope of industrial production will double in the next few years,“ said Kaiser. Nevertheless, this should not give people false hope. Aside from the high investment required, the long time-to-market, and society’s skepticism regarding sustainability, so far very few products based on biotechnology that enable new functionalities have successfully been placed on the market. Martin Todd, managing director of LMC International, illustrated just how complex the decision for or against a certain raw material for a biotechnological process can be. The British company is a consultant to companies in agribusiness all over the world. “The demand for renewable carbon sources is increasing rapidly, thanks to fast economic growth and the desire to replace fossil sources.” As a result, raw material prices have climbed because arable land has had to be expanded to create „more expensive areas,“ the rising cost of crude oil has increased the production costs of farmers, and because of the widespread use of biofuels, whose prices directly correlate with rising crude oil prices. “This is why the prices for renewable carbon sources will follow those of fossil carbon sources,” said Todd. The dynamics vary, however, for reasons that include energy content (when compared to crude oil, vegetable oils have a 1 to 1 content, while ethanol is 0.7 to 1 in the same comparison), the pricing politics of the Brazilian government, which mean that fuel prices in that country can differ greatly from world prices, and economically attractive byproducts (such as glycerin) that occur in the production of biofuels. “Because of their high energy content, vegetable oils are likely to be more expensive than carbohydrates, especially because they are many times more land intensive and their potential crop areas are geographically limited,” BIoteCHnoLoGY 29 The technology demonstra tion facility of Butamax, a joint venture of BP and DuPont, with a specified nominal capacity of 37,000 liters biobutanol per year said Todd. “When it comes to carbohydrates, a resource like sugar cane is a less obvious topic for the ‚Food vs. Fuel‘ debate, but it also requires arable land, obviously.” Simplified production processes, thanks to biocatalysts Jack Staloch does not believe that there is a food shortage currently, but does believe that “food is lacking in the right places.” Staloch is a vice president of the agricultural multinational Cargill, and worldwide head of the Biotechnology Development Center. For the last four years, there has been a law in the United States that stipulates a threefold increase in the use of biofuels as a share of fuel consumption by 2022. Fifty billion liters were produced in the United States last year—half of the world‘s production, and more biofuel than ever before. Owing to its biotechnological expertise, Cargill is also active in this segment, though it is far from its only field of activity. “Biotechnology accounts for about four percent of our sales,” said Staloch. The company has core competencies in fermentation, enzymes, separation and engineering. “Thanks to biotechnology, we can develop new products and processes, or lower production costs,” said Staloch. A good example is the production of lactic acid. To extract lactic acid following bacterial production, lime and sulfuric acid had to be added to the fermentation broth. But with Cargill’s newly developed yeast bacteria, sugar can now be fermented to lactic acid without the same amount of additional chemicals—and at the same production rates and yields. To find the right biocatalyst, Cargill researchers tested about 1,200 yeast strains. They then modified the best candidates before ultimately transferring the fermentation to the production level. “We also recognized, however, that this yeast strain makes a good fermentation platform for other applications,” said Staloch, “such as organic acids for plastics and synthetic fibers.” Ray W. Miller, Global Business Development Manager in the Applied Bio Sciences Division at DuPont, stressed that chemical companies operating in the field of biotechnology have to have a lot of patience. A pioneer in industrial biotechnology, 333 elements35 Issue 2|2011
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Page 5 and 6: Fiscal year 2010: the best result s
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Page 13 and 14: Influence of the engine oil on gas
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Page 17 and 18: Almost 5,000 km across Australia Pi
Page 19 and 20: Study verifies effectiveness of con
Page 21 and 22: PLAstIC oR GLAss? This is the quest
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Page 25 and 26: its partners, Sunovation has develo
Page 27: foR YeARs, It was impossible to ima
Page 31 and 32: Robust, flexible, and fast drying:

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