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In the chemical industry, there are
Biofuel is produced from
4.
The Main Biotechnological Techniques
DNA/RNA deals with
Proteins and other molecules are produced by
Process biotechnology
techniques include
Nanobiotechnology comes up with
Bioinformatics constructs
Exercise 30. Write an e-mail to your friend about your participation in the work-
shop on biotechnology.
PROJECT WORK
Exercise 31. Compile information about biotechnology. Present the project to
your group. You may use the following websites: www.industry.gov.au, www.
fosters.com.au, www.oecd.org, www.ec.europa.eu
ADDITIONAL READING
Exercise 32. Make a summary of the text using the following phrases:
1. The title of the text is…
2. The text is about… The text deals with…
3. The text covers such points as… first… second… third…
4. It should be underlined that…
5. In conclusion, I may say that…
6. To my mind… In my opinion…
‘WHITE’ BIOTECHNOLOGY
The so-called ‘white biotechnology’ is a broad
and expanding field that
makes use of new enzymes for a variety of industrial applications, embraces
the manufacture of non-oil-based and biodegradable bioplastics and biofu-
els, as well as artificial fibres. The process works by transforming biomass —
e.g. agricultural (by)products, organic waste, algae — into biofuels and bio-
based chemicals, in the same way as crude oil is used as feedstock in the
production of chemicals and fuels. Industrial biotechnology encompasses
many waste treatments and abatement of pollution, using microorganisms and
plants, known as bioremediation.
Biofuel production is part of white biotechnology. Ethanol, a biofuel,
is produced from renewable raw materials. Today, starch from corn, sugar-
cane, sugar beet and wheat are the main feedstocks. It is transformed into
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ethertiobutylether (ETBE) — a mixture of isobuthylene,
a by-product of the
oil industry, and ethanol — before being mixed with petrol. Bioethanol, bio-
diesel, and biobutanol can provide alternatives to fossil fuels in transportation
sector, particularly for internal combustion engines, and potentially could help
car manufactures meet their commitment on reducing CO
2
emissions that are
used to produce ethanol as a substitute for gasoline. Another established sector
is the
production of fine chemicals, such as amino acids, lipids, organic acids,
vitamins, etc.
In the chemical industry, an important step in increasing the share of bio-
based chemicals is the creation of biotechnological platform intermediates
based on the use of renewable carbon sources. In this way, renewable feed-
stocks can be transformed into a similar set of end-products (organic chemi-
cals) which are produced today from fossil fuel.
Bio-based products already
existing on the market include biopolymer fibers used both in construction and
in household applications, biogradable plastics, some antibiotics, vitamins,
amino acids and other fine chemicals.
‘White’ biotechnology, or industrial and environmental biotechnology,
may now only seem to occupy a small niche. Some analysts are currently com-
paring the current status of biotechnology to that of chemistry in the 1870s,
when chemists were applying their new knowledge to a limited range of ap-
plication. However, because of its enormous promise and potential, it may
become as ubiquitous as the chemical industry today.
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