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Research ENTEG Products and Processes for Biotechnology in the Biobased Economy

Research

The Biobased Economy (BBE), or green economy, is focusing on the transition from a fossil-based economy towards an economy using biomass as a primary source: from ‘fossil based’ to ‘bio based’. The Biomass originates from agricultural crops, plants, algea and natural waste streams.
Biomass for non-food applications forms the central theme in the biobased economy. Biomass, containing organic carbon, can be used both for energy (as the non-fossil based wind energy and solar energy) and for biomaterials, such as chemicals, plastics, medicins and cosmetics.
The transition towards a biobased economy is a complex process, and triggers innovations and tremendous economic opportunities.
Bridging science to business, and viceversa (business to science) is essential for successful innovations, it forms the base of the transition towards the BBE.  BioBrug (www.biobrug.nl) is a program specifically designed to strengthen the collaboration between the University of Groningen and the (regional) SME’s and industry allowing to contribute significantly to the (transition towards) a BBE. 
The Netherlands, and specifically the northern region, has a very high potential to play a major role in the (transition to) the Biobased Economy: there exists an excellent expertise in agriculture, very highly educated community, an excellent qualified university,  a good infrastructure, and an attractive climate for knowledge intensive and high tech small and medium-sized enterprizes  (SME’s) and a high quality chemical industry.

Designing and optimizing biotechnological processes is usually performed in fermenters under controlled conditions. The initial experiments are performed on laboratory scale and later on pilot scale experiments are performed on the path towards industrial scale fermentations. With standard equipment that is available only a limited amount of experiments can be carried out. There are several reasons for this but one reason is that the investment costs are high for a large number of fermenters. Secondly the whole process is labour and time intensive, increasing the investment costs even more. A solution to this problem is to downscale the whole screening process but without giving in on control and reliability. Small fermenters can be more easily handled by a single scientist, are cheaper, and require less workspace. In a setup where all reactors are individually controlled automated screening of process conditions becomes possible.

Additional research projects:


Lets stick together.

Recovery of polymeric material from source separated waste water for the production of adhesives.  (project: 1/09/2012 - 31/5/2014)
This project is funded by Innovatief Actieprogramma Groningen 3(IAG-3, http://www.provinciegroningen.nl/fileadmin/user_upload/Documenten/Downloads/IAG3_Programma.pdf) in collaboration with Bareau (www.bareau.nl) (Heerenveen) en Dynaplak (www.dynaplak.nl) (Veendam)

Last modified:12 February 2013 1.12 p.m.