Bioeconomy and white biotechnology as a basic pillar of the Lisbon strategy

The entrance into the new millennium is branded by intensive development of science and new technologies. Life science and biotechnologies are widely recognize to be, after ICT, the parallel wave of knowledge – based economy, creating new opportunities for our society and economies. This application is the basic object of Lisbon strategy in Europe. This new trends, to make full use of biotechnology for sustainable economy, is official titled as bioeconomy around the world. The characteristics of bioeconomy and utilization of industrial biotechnology are presented in this article.

Production of Bulk Chemicals with Biocatalysis: Drivers and Challenges Reflected in Recent Industrial Granted Patents (2015–2020)

The application of biocatalysis and White Biotechnology tools in chemical areas concerning the production of bulk compounds and other related low-added value products (with high volumes) has been gaining importance in recent years. The expected drivers of biocatalysis for these sectors are energy savings, regioselectivity (leading to cleaner products), the possibility of using thermolabile substrates, as well as the generation of less by-products and manageable wastes. This paper explores some recent industrial granted patents related to biocatalysis and bulk chemicals. Several patents have been identified in fields such as biodiesel and esterification reactions, and sugar or furan chemistry. Overall, innovative strategies involve the identification of novel enzymes, the set-up of improved immobilization methods, as well as novel reactor designs that can offer improved performances and economics. The reported examples indicate that biocatalysis can certainly offer opportunities for these areas as well, far from the typical pharmaceutical and fine chemical applications often reported in the literature.

Process intensification using immobilized enzymes for the development of white biotechnology

Process intensification of biocatalysed reactions using different techniques such as microwaves, ultrasound, hydrodynamic cavitation, ionic liquids, microreactors and flow chemistry in various industries is critically analysed and future directions provided.

Development of Swiss Biotechnology Beyond the Biopharmaceutical Sector In memoriam Prof. Dr. Oreste Ghisalba (1946–2018)

Although diverse, the potential business opportunities for biotechnology outside the biopharmaceutical market are very large. White biotechnology can offer sustainable operations and products, while investments tend to be lower than those in red biotechnology. But a number of bottlenecks and roadblocks in Switzerland must be removed to realise the full potential of white biotechnology. This was also the point of view of Oreste Ghisalba, who wanted to be part of a new initiative to facilitate the creation of additional business, new processes and new products. This initiative requires the identification and the use of synergies and a much better cooperation between academia and industry through targeted networking. Unfortunately, we must carry on with this task without Oreste, whom we will miss for his deep knowledge and friendship.