May 16, 2002 Antwerp 1

May 16, 2002 Antwerp 1

The Application of Biotechnology to Industrial Sustainability

– An OECD Study –

Dr Mike Griffiths Mike Griffiths Associates


OECD Publications

“Biotechnology for Clean Industrial Products and Processes” (OECD, 1998)

“The Application of Biotechnology to Industrial Sustainability” (OECD, 2001)

http://www.oecd.org/bookshop for both reports


Unanswered Questions

Some assessments already existed but were - academic studies of environmental problems specific in-house analyses of process development

We wanted to know:

Can biotechnology provide a cheaper option? Can economic and environmental improvement go hand

in hand?


Why the latest study?

No collections of comparable case studies existed, and

No analysis to-date of the policy implications

Why did we do it? Biotech should be on every industrial agenda Sustainability on every list of parameters


Basis of the Study

Companies which have adopted new biotechnology processes (21 case studies)

The factors in their decision making The policy lessons which emerged

Sponsors: the Canadian and UK governments


Two distinct audiences

Industrial policy makers (senior management) show what others have done and the benefits demonstrate the sustainability of their company

Policy makers within government see how the “early adopters” have made decisions support guidelines for national financing programmes


The triple bottom line

Economic

Environment SocialSize of triangle = indicator of sustainability


One Company’s Vision


Applications of biotechnology 1

Replacement of fossil fuels by renewable raw materials, for example: Cargill Dow polymers -

polylactides Eastman and Genencor -

ascorbic acid DuPont and Genencor - 1,3-

propanediol Biofuels - bioethanol, biodiesel


DuPont Bioproducts


Applications of biotechnology 2

Industrial use of biological systems (whole cells, enzymes)

Waste recycling Chiral synthesis Textile treatment Oil well completion etc., etc.


Production of 7-amino cephalosporanic acid

I t 7-ACA

Enzymatic Process

0.3 t31 t

Old Chemical Process

Waste to be incinerated


Breakdown of cases by sector and country


Participating Companies

Avecia Baxenden Billiton Biochemie (Novartis) Cargill Dow Cereol Ciba Domtar DSM ICPET

Iogen Leykam M-I, BP Amoco Mitsubishi Rayon Oji Paper Paques (Budel Zink, Pasfrost Roche Tanabe Seiyaku Windel


Experience curve for Penicillin G price

10000 100000 100000010

100

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990 19

95

1999

2010

Abso

lute

pri

ce (

in y

ear

2000

$'s

/kg)

Cumulated volumes (MT)


Lewis Carroll in ‘Alice through the Looking-Glass’

“A slow sort of country!” said the Queen. “Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that.”


Pre–implementation stages

Getting an idea Putting biotech on the board’s agenda Deciding on parameters to measure and Assembling the data Looking into the future Proceed or not


Technologies for the Future


Life Cycle Assessment

Answering the questions: Does process reduce environmental load or merely

transfer it up - or downstream? Where in the process is the most severe environmental

impact?

Quantifying comparisons of alternative process options and competing technologies


Acrylamide processes - energy consumption

0

2

3

4

5

1Ene

rgy

Con

sum

ptio

n [ M

J / k

g-A

Am

]

Catalytic Process

Enzymatic [New]-Process

Enzymatic [Old] - Process

67

Raw Materials

ElectricPower

Steam


Bioextraction of Copper

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

Annual Copper Production (x1000 tpa Copper)

Ope

ratin

g C

ost (

US c

/lb)

BioCOP Process

Conventional Smelting


Significant findings 1

Biotech invariably led to a more environmentally friendly process

It also resulted in a cheaper process but

The role of the environment was secondary to cost and product quality unless

Environmental legislation is driving - then the decision might be clean up or close!


Significant findings 2

Approaches were rarely systematic - so follow your hunch

Biotech skills had to be acquired - do you need industrial or academic partners

Lead times improved with succeeding developments


Costs and environmental benefits

Case Energy Rawmaterials

Waste to air Waste towater

Operatingcosts

a. Same -75% (non-renewables)

-50% -66% -50%

b. Elec. +Steam -

-80% -80% considerablereduction

c. -80% down down down

d. down down down -54% (rawmaterials)

e. -70% -80% -40%

f. -15% Down (cleanwater)

down -9%


Enzyme de-gumming of vegetable oil


Messages

Why adopt biotechnology? To improve costs and be environmentally friendly

Be aware of change, find yourself an R & D partner Have a champion, assemble arguments to convince doubters Build your own in–house biotech skill base Companies – work with government and keep close to the regulators Government – there is much help the companies still need –

especially R & D funding Do you know of any good examples we can use?

Documents

May 16, 2002 Antwerp 1