Biotechnology: key to addressing the triple environmental crisis and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

A healthy environment is key to meeting many of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UN Environment Program warns that we are running out of time to transform our societies and economies with better solutions to global problems such as pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss. A triple crisis that has already begun to reverse decades of development progress in some countries, and to slow progress in others.

The World Bank denounces that development and economic growth cannot continue to take place at the expense of the planet's natural capital, and it is necessary to address the factors driving this crisis in order to guarantee a healthy environment. Biotechnology plays a crucial role in this challenge through numerous tools and methods that not only address environmental problems, but also promote more sustainable practices.

This June 5, on the occasion of World Environment Day, AseBio is focusing on how some of our partners are working on innovations that aim to ensure environmental sustainability.

Using microorganisms to degrade, absorb or transform waste: the role of bioremediation

The amount of toxic and non-toxic wastes generated by human activity is overwhelming and continuously growing, making the management of these wastes difficult and creating the demand for new technologies from different areas of knowledge. The role of biotechnology, both in the development of solutions and in the creation of non-polluting substitutes, is absolutely crucial. Bioremediation, which consists of the use of microorganisms to degrade, absorb or transform different types of waste, stands out in the face of this problem.

“From Biomar MT we have made advances in the field of mycoremediation, as a technology that uses the biotransforming capacity of fungi, based on their own functioning in nature, using material considered as toxic waste for humans and degrading it until releasing its components, already harmless, to nature”, explained the biotechnological company specialized in marine microbiology and chemistry of natural products. Its collection of microorganisms includes some capable of degrading hydrocarbons, becoming a promising soil decontaminant tool; as well as microorganisms that produce surfactant compounds, which collaborate in the dispersion of contaminants, substantially improving biodegradation.

Biofuels production and biotechnological innovation of production processes

Biofuels are one of the main alternatives to mitigate the impact of climate change. Together with bioenergy, they include alternatives such as biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas, biomethane, biohydrogen or biomass. Agri-food by-products, depending on their nature and the technology applied, can be transformed into one or other of these alternatives. AINIA, a private technology center with more than 35 years of experience in R&D&I, specializes in the field of anaerobic digestion. A versatile solution that makes it possible to take advantage of a wide range of by-products, obtaining an integral use in the form of renewable gas (biogas-biomethane, biohydrogen) and digested for use as fertilizer.

Biogas is one of the most promising types of renewable energy. It is generated from the anaerobic digestion of organic by-products, such as agri-foodstuffs, household waste or sewage sludge. It is a technology with multiple advantages: it is a versatile energy source (it can be used to generate heat and/or electricity, purified to obtain a gas similar to natural gas or used as fuel in adapted vehicles), it is not only a renewable energy, but the digestate is a fertilizer material which transforms waste and by-products into a resource and, in addition, anaerobic digestion can be the basis for biorefinery processes. 

CLaMber (Castilla-La Mancha Bio-Economy Region) was created with the aim of promoting the bioeconomy, that is, the use of biomass as a source of materials in Spain and Europe. The CLaMber R&D Biorefinery has two main lines of research: fermentation with pure culture in which, depending on the carbon source, it can act as a normal biotechnological plant (using commercial carbon), as a first generation biorefinery (using sugar or amylaceous cultures); or anaerobic digestion for the valorization of fermentable wet biomass (slurry, whey, WWTP sludge, meat meal, etc.) and biogas production, depending on the source of carbon, or anaerobic digestion for the valorization of fermentable wet biomass (slurry, whey, WWTP sludge, meat meal, etc.) and biogas production, depending on the source of carbon. ) and production of biogas, green hydrogen and digestates rich in volatile fatty acids.

Among the advances in technological innovation in production processes, the work of the Center for Scientific and Technological Research of Extremadura (CICYTEX) for obtaining charcoal stands out.  Its focus is on the use of fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic waste, such as branches, trunks and leaves (which cannot be valorized in biorefinery models), to produce high quality biochar. Fast pyrolysis is a thermochemical process carried out in the absence of oxygen and at high temperatures, which allows the biomass to be broken down into its basic components without generating harmful emissions. This process results in the production of several useful products: wood vinegar, bio-oil, biobetun and biochar.

“Biochar is a solid carbonaceous product that is characterized by its high porosity, a fact that allows its applications in various fields,” such as agriculture, wastewater treatment, electrical energy storage or biofertilizer, among others.

Biotechnology in the face of the omnipresent plastic problem

The development of molecular techniques, genetic engineering and sequencing of microorganisms, together with the extensive progress in other omics, has driven and promoted the boom in green, marine and industrial biotechnology over the last two decades. These biotechnological innovations are beginning to offer effective and efficient solutions to many of the environmental problems facing humanity.

Among the most relevant lines of solution are those related to traditional plastics issues, where the inclusion of biotechnological advances is providing solutions to critical problems and contributing significantly to at least eight of the 17 SDGs. “Regarding the production of bioplastics, the genetic modification of specific microorganisms has significantly increased their intrinsic capacity to produce and/or accumulate some of the most important precursors of bio-based plastics, such as lactic acid derivative and polyhydroxyalkanoates,” they detail from CICYTEX.

In this sense, they emphasize that “biotechnological tools are making it possible to reduce the difference in costs per kilogram of product compared to their petrochemical analogues”. “Although currently only a few bio-based polymers are produced, the metabolic diversity existing in microorganisms will make it possible, in the coming years, to offer increasingly viable alternatives both environmentally and economically, as studies on microbial strains and their metabolic capabilities expand.”

In addition, thanks to the great genetic diversity of microorganisms, “it also has the potential to provide high-impact solutions for the decomposition of petrochemical plastics. Through significant advances and synergies between the blue and white biotechnology branches, biological strategies are being designed for the decomposition of plastics by biological methods.

In the plastics recycling and efficient manufacturing sector, approaches similar to those used in detergents for stain removal, such as the use of enzymes and genetically modified microorganisms, are being introduced. These solutions are providing specific, sustainable and targeted responses to the problem of plastic pollution,” say CICYTEX.

Genetically modified crops: towards a more sustainable agriculture

There are currently about 8 billion people on the planet and the FAO predicts that by 2050 there will be close to 10 billion. In other words, if the world population increases and the agricultural surface area for food production remains stable globally, this obliges us to increase production by 50% on the same surface area, while respecting ecosystems.

Genetic engineering, for example, currently allows us to work with seeds and new crop varieties that are more productive, more resistant to pests and diseases, as well as to periods of drought or extreme temperatures. In addition, these seeds in combination with digital tools allow us to reduce our carbon footprint by requiring fewer machine passes.

Beyond genetic engineering, biotechnological solutions in biostimulants and biofertilizers allow mitigating the effects of climate change, making better use of nutrients and allowing an increase in soil organic matter thanks to certain soil microorganisms.

In the last two decades, plant biotechnology has evolved significantly, rendering obsolete the European directive regulating genetically modified organisms. New techniques such as targeted mutagenesis or cisgenesis make it possible to obtain plants with the desired traits more quickly and precisely. These techniques, called New Genomic Techniques (NGT), such as CRISPR, open up numerous possibilities for providing solutions to the great challenge of feeding a constantly growing population and mitigating the effects of climate change.

Unlike transgenic plants in which a gene from another origin is introduced to provide the desired characteristic, plants obtained with NGT are developed with genomic editing, i.e., the DNA chain of the plant is edited to induce changes in the genomes of plants without inserting genetic material from another species and the result is a plant that could have been obtained through conventional breeding or spontaneously in nature itself.

“The applications of New Genomics Techniques in agriculture create many opportunities to develop products that are essential to adapt to climate change, reduce dependence on limited resources, reduce inputs, improve biodiversity and that can contribute greatly to achieving global and European sustainability goals,” concludes Richard Borreani, Public Affairs, Science & Sustainability Iberia at Bayer.

We are at the beginning of the road to harnessing the full potential of biotechnology for the benefit of sustainability. It is true that important advances have been made, but it is crucial to advance in the involvement of all the agents involved (governments, industry, educational institutions and, of course, society). In view of this goal, it is essential to improve biotechnology funding to accelerate the development of innovative solutions and, additionally, legislative changes are required, such as those affecting the management of certain wastes so that they are considered raw materials or the implementation of policies aimed at promoting the reuse and recycling of waste.