Fundamental Biochemical and Biotechnological Principles of Biomass Growth and Use 35
he was Programme Director for Biotechnology, Agriculture & Food Research. He also
served for 4 years as co-chair in the EC-US Task Force Life Sciences and Biotechnology
Research. Earlier he held positions in International Science Organisations like ESA,
ESO and EMBL as well as with the German Federal Ministry of Research, Education
and Science. Christian Patermann studied law, economics, and languages in Germany,
Switzerland, and Spain.
Sean Simpson is the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of LanzaTech (USA)
and leads the development and commercialization of LanzaTech’s core technology.
Simpson’s leadership has encouraged collaboration between biologists, fermentation
specialists, process and design engineers, and business development teams to
develop the technology and the company to become a global leader in gas fermentation.
Simpson holds a PhD from York University, UK, and a Masters degree from Nottingham
University, UK.
1.7 Summary
About 150 years ago the feedstock change from natural materials to fossil feedstock
triggered the industrial revolution. Coal, natural gas, and mineral oil offered raw mate-
rials with high carbon and energy content. Especially the use of oil started the ongoing
innovation cycle in chemistry, the growth of energy and chemical markets and the devel-
opment of a global supply chain infrastructure. However, these resources are limited
and in addition their use is leading to CO 2 emission and consequently climate change.
Biomass is the only alternative. Above all, it is renewable and therefore an apparently
endless resource. However, energy and chemicals are not the only markets to be satis-
fied; the growing world population asks for more food, feed, and fiber as well. Therefore,
priorities have to be set: Nutrition is first, and in industrial use biomass needs to be
focused on products that depend on carbon, that is, chemicals and heavy-duty fuel.
In addition, also biomass production does not come without any emission. Industrial
processing should therefore target on high carbon efficiency to keep the raw material
consumption as low as possible.
First-, second-, and third-generation processes and products are under development
and continuously enter the market. What we see today is again the launch of an inno-
vation cycle triggered by a feedstock change. The time is right for scientists, engineers,
and entrepreneurs to deepen the academic insights into biomass fundamentals, develop
and implement transformation technologies, and explore the commercial potential of
the bio-economy!
1.8 Study Problems
Is biomass going to replace fossil resources in energy and chemical production?
Can cascade-use of biomass disburden the feedstock demand?
How can the nutrition versus industrial biomass use conflict be solved?
Which unconventional resources to be explored?
What makes the bio-economy transformative?
