A future perspective on the role of industrial biotechnology for chemicals production

The development of recombinant DNA technology, the need for renewable raw materials and a green, sustainable profile for future chemical processes have been major drivers in the implementation of industrial biotechnology. The use of industrial biotechnology for the production of chemicals is well established in the pharmaceutical industry but is moving down the value chain toward bulk chemicals. Chemical engineers will have an essential role in the development of new processes where the need is for new design methods for effective implementation, just as much as new technology. Most interesting is that the design of these processes relies on an integrated approach of biocatalyst and process engineering. (C) 2013 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.