Industrial biotechnology, past, present, and future Swedish-African partnerships

Industrial biotechnology, past, present and future Swedish-

African Partnerships.

Bo Mattiasson

Lund University and Indienz AB

Sida-supported activities

• BioEARN

• BioInnovate

• Bilateral programs

BioEARN and to some extent also in BioInnovate

• Enzyme and microbial technology

• Environmental biotechnology

Projects

• Upgrading fish waste – production of PUFA

• Biogas from industrial waste

• Enzymes for the leather industry

• Wastewater treatment e.g. from leather industry

Biogas from surplus biomass

Anaerobic degradation of organic material

ORGANIC MATERIAL

SOLUBLE MONOMERS

EXTRACELLULAR

HYDROLYSIS

VOLATILE FATTY

ACIDS

ACETATE HYDROGEN

CARBON DIOXIDE

ACIDOGENESIS

ACETOGENESIS

METHANOGENESIS

METHANE

CARBON DIOXIDE

Enzymatic degradation

Microbial degradation

BIOGAS

METHANOGENESIS

How far can one drive on the

bioenergy produced from 1 hectar

(10.000 m2)?

Project with Tanzania

• Bioenergy carriers from biomass

• Ethanol from wild cassava

• Biogas from residues from starch production

Biomass can be used for many purposes

Platform chemcials

• For industry to build on.

• Relatively simple molecules that are converted afterwards

Sources of biomass

• Waste from traditional farming

• Waste from industrial processing

• Municipal solid waste

• GMO crops specially designed for industrial biotech.

• Algae

• etc

12

3

Mono-, di-, or tri- glycerate

Glycerol carbonate

Glyceric acid

3-Hydroxypropionic acid

1,3-Propanediol

Propionic acid

3-Hydroxypropionaldehyde

Propanol

Glycerol

Glycidol

DihydroxyacetoneDiglyceraldehyde

Branched polyesters and nylons

1,2-Propanediol

Malonic acidAcrylic acid

Ethyl-3HP

Methylacrylate

Acrylamide

2

Acrylonitrile

3-Hydroxypropionic acid

Propiolactone

Poly-3HP

1,3-Propanediol

Enzymes and micororganisms as industrialcatalysts

• Organisms isolated from extreme environments are a good source of enzymes adapted to harsh conditions

• Enzyme properties can be improved using gene technology

A novel alkaline protease from a novel alkaliphilic microorganism isolated from an alkaline soda lake

Nesterenkonia aethiopica Protease crystals

New biology to obtain suitable Biocatalysts

RESEARCH APPROACH

Extremophilicorganisms,

Genesisolation

cultivation

Extreme habitats

Cloning, expression & Production

Rational design,Directed evolution

genes

GREENCHEM

Industrial enzymes

• For food industry

• For leather industry

• For chemical industry

• For cosmetics

• For conversion of biomass

• etc.

Environmental biotechnology

• Remediation

• Degradation of toxic chemicals

• Bioenergy (mainly biogas)

The largest biotech process

The largest biotech process

• Treatment of water

– Wastewater

– Water for consumption

Heavy metals constitute a serious environmental problem today!

• Polluting water and soil

• HM are taken up by the crops

• Influences ecosystems negatively

Bioreactors for removal of heavy metal ions

• Sulfate reducing bacteria grown in bioreactor

• Porous glass used as carrier material

worldwide public

health problem

Microcystins

29

Collaboration with the private sector?!

STRATEGY FOR BUILDINGSTRONG BIOTECHNOLOGY

RESEARCH.

Microbialfermentation

Enzymetechnology

Enzyme &microbial

technology

Cloning & molecularbiology

Downstreamprocessing ofbiomolecules

Anaerobic fermentation

Processtechnology

The seven pillars for building competence inIndustrial biotechnology.

Microbialfermentation

Enzymetechnology

Enzyme &microbial

technology

Cloning & molecularbiology

Downstreamprocessing ofbiomolecules

Anaerobic fermentationProcess

technology

Need for adding application oriented work

Microbialfermentation

Enzymetechnology

Enzyme &microbial

technology

Cloning & molecularbiology

Downstreamprocessing ofbiomolecules

Anaerobic fermentationProcess

technology

Need for adding APPLIED RESERCH

Enzymetechnology

Applied projects for e.g. Master students

Enzymetechnology

Applied projects for e.g. Master students

Industrial partner

Enzymetechnology

Applied projects for e.g. Master students

Industrial partner

Fermentationtechnology

Microbialfermentation

Enzymetechnology

Enzyme &microbial

technology

Cloning & molecularbiology

Downstreamprocessing ofbiomolecules

Anaerobic fermentationProcess

technology

Add INDUSTRIALCOLLABORATION

Course in entrepreneurship in biotechnology

• Make a market survey

• Write a business plan

• To arrange financial support

• IPR

• To meet others who have made the journey and succeeded or failed.

Why this course?

• Important to discuss project areas that are familiar to the students.

• Important to have concrete objects to work with

• It gives the students the toolbox for starting

In Lund this has resulted in

• Bioprocess Control AB

• Capsenze HB

• Enviro AB

• Protista Int. AB

• Indienz AB

• Cyclicor AB

• Enza AB

• m.fl.

Indienz ABworks with a pilot scale biorefinery

• One of the founders now tries to start a daughter company in India

• One founder from Ethiopia is investigating the possibilities to establish activities in Ethiopia.

Bioprocess Control AB

monitoring and control of anaerobic digestion

• On founder from China is CEO and has started a daughter company there.

Points to focus on …

• Postdoctoral training

• Industrial contacts

• PhD-programme and postdoc programmes to be introduced gradually

When starting …

• Collaborate with established companies

• Start with less demanding projects

• Consulting, trouble shooting etc

Thank you for listening!

Bo Mattiasson

• www.biotek.lu.se

• bo.mattiasson@biotek.lu.se

• +46 70-6059830