PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY

Agriculture is a vast and diversified field offering numerous career options. Other than those directly engaged in farming and other agricultural activities, the biotech industry needs people in the areas of research and development and also in various other agri-biotech related fields. The fields in agriculture based biotechnology include bio-pesticides, bio-fertilizers and biofuels.

Biotechnology includes a wide array of techniques and applications. Examples include micro propagation, allowing for multiplication of virus-free plants; marker-assisted selection applied to conventional breeding, or genetic engineering, for the production of genetically modified organisms with new, improved traits.

How does plant biotechnology work with biofuels?

Biotechnology for Biofuels will focus on the following areas:

• Development of plants for biofuels production
• Plant deconstruction
• Pretreatment and fractionation
• Enzyme production and enzymatic conversion
• Fermentation and bioconversion
• Integrated systems
• Process design and economics
• Life cycle studies

Biotechnological techniques can help to:

• Increase biomass yield/ha while reducing the needs for production inputs

• Improve crop quality (higher bio-fuel yields)

• Contribute to also grow energy crops in areas with marginal conditions

• Develop efficient micro-organisms and enzymes to convert the  (hemi) cellulose to sugars, which can them be fermented into bio-fuel

• Convert agricultural waste into biofuels.

Researchers are working to develop a collection of new biocatalysts -genetically engineered enzymes, yeasts and bacteria- that are making it possible to produce biomass ethanol from just about any plant, tree or agricultural waste. This would dramatically reduce the cost to produce ethanol and bio-diesel because the industry would no longer have to rely solely on expensive feedstock.

Second, researchers are using biotechnology to develop new tools to more efficiently use waste plant products such as grass clippings or corn stalks to produce ethanol and other products. That’s expected to make ethanol even cheaper. Other crops like Jatropha, Karanja, Mahua, Neem etc proved very good as the source of bio-diesel production.

Send mail the info@medorsbiotech.com  with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 09/02/07