Innovations and Broad Horizons for Environmental Biotechnology

Australasian Biotechnology, Volume 8 Number 4, July/August 1998, pp. 228-234 Conference Paper: Innovations and Broad Horizons for Environmental Biotechnology Gary S. Sayler Code Number:AU98031 Sizes of Files: Text: 27K Graphics: Line drawings (gif) - 29K Over the next thirty years, it has been predicted that worldwide markets for environmental technology will exceed $400 billion annually. These markets are extremely broad and are encompassed by a vision of environmental sustainability. Within this vision, environmental biotechnology can play a distinct role. Yet, this role is not clearly defined and the market share that environmental biotechnology can capture remains unpredictable. What is clear, is that environmental biotechnology has opportunities to contribute new solutions and directions in remediation of contaminated environments, minimizing future waste release and creating pollution prevention alternatives. To take advantage of these opportunities, innovative new strategies, which advance the use of molecular biological methods and genetic engineering technology, must be developed. These methods would improve the understanding of existing biological processes in order to increase their efficiency, productivity, and flexibility. Examples of the development and implementation of such strategies include: 1) the use of recombinant organisms in soil bioremediation, 2) genetic and molecular process monitoring and control for optimization of waste treatment systems, bioprocessing and bioremediation, and 3) novel gene discovery technology and wireless integrated circuit biosensor biotechnology for direct environmental analysis, and system improvement. While the research and development landscape is expected to shift from bioremediation technology to more complex topics in environmental sustainability, the resulting transition creates enormous opportunities for innovative biotechnical approaches to capture a significant share of the future environmental technology market. Copyright 1998 Australian Biotechnology Association Ltd