Existing biotechnology could save energy and cut CO2 by 100 percent
Date: Monday, December 17, 2007 @ 22:51:58 UTC
Topic: General
A new analysis has concluded that use of existing biotechnology in the
production of so-called bulk chemicals could reduce consumption of
non-renewable energy and carbon emissions by 100 percent. The study
appeared in the Nov. 15 issue of ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology.
Bulk chemicals like ethylene, butanol or acrylic
acid are the basic raw materials used in the production of everything
from plastics and fertilizers to electronic components and medicines.
Currently derived from crude oil and natural gas, bulk chemical
production creates billions of tons of carbon dioxide each year. Still,
the application of industrial biotechnology for the production of bulk
chemicals has received much less attention than alternative fuel or
biomass-derived energy production.
B. G. Hermann and colleagues analyzed current and
future technology routes leading to 15 bulk chemicals using industrial
biotechnology, calculating their carbon emissions and fossil energy
use. With biotechnology advances in the future, the researchers suggest
that worldwide CO2 savings in the range of 500-1000 million tons per
year are possible.
Even today, bio-based bulk chemicals “offer clear savings in
non-renewable energy use and green house gas emissions with current
technology compared to conventional petrochemical production.”
Source: ACS
B. G. Hermann and colleagues analyzed current and
future technology routes leading to 15 bulk chemicals using industrial
biotechnology, calculating their carbon emissions and fossil energy
use. With biotechnology advances in the future, the researchers suggest
that worldwide CO2 savings in the range of 500-1000 million tons per
year are possible.
Even today, bio-based bulk chemicals “offer clear savings in
non-renewable energy use and green house gas emissions with current
technology compared to conventional petrochemical production.”
Source: ACS
B. G. Hermann and colleagues analyzed current and
future technology routes leading to 15 bulk chemicals using industrial
biotechnology, calculating their carbon emissions and fossil energy
use. With biotechnology advances in the future, the researchers suggest
that worldwide CO2 savings in the range of 500-1000 million tons per
year are possible.
Even today, bio-based bulk chemicals “offer clear savings in
non-renewable energy use and green house gas emissions with current
technology compared to conventional petrochemical production.”
Source: ACS
Via: http://www.physorg.com/news117116395.html
===========
|
|