Biotechnology, key in reducing dependence on fossil fuels and developing alternative energy sources

According to United Nations figures, coal, oil, and gas account for over 75% of total global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions. The European Union's goals in combating climate change and the European Green Deal aim to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 (from the current 40%) and make climate neutrality legally binding by 2050.

Energy is one of the foundations of the global challenge posed by climate change, but it is also a fundamental element for its solution, which involves reducing dependence on fossil fuels and investing in alternative energy sources that are clean, accessible, affordable, sustainable, and reliable. This is a challenge for which biotechnology has been working for years to provide answers.

Bioenergy, biofuels, biological treatment of waste and wastewater, reduction of atmospheric emissions, or improvement of energy efficiency are just some examples of the responses offered by the biotechnology sector to this challenge, which we delve into today on the occasion of World Energy Day.

Sustainable biotechnological innovation and development: bioenergy and biofuels

"Bioenergy and biofuels encompass alternatives such as biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas, biomethane, biohydrogen, or biomass. Depending on their nature and the applied technology, agri-food by-products can be transformed into one or another of these alternatives," explains Begoña Ruiz, Director of Technologies at AINIA, a company with over 30 years of experience in boosting the competitiveness of businesses through innovation.

"At AINIA, we have specialized in the field of anaerobic digestion as it is a versatile solution that allows for the utilization of a wide range of by-products, obtaining comprehensive utilization in the form of renewable gas (biogas-biomethane, biohydrogen) and digestate for use as fertilizer," Ruiz explains.

Biogas emerges as one of the renewable energies with the most potential. "It is generated from the anaerobic digestion of organic by-products, such as agri-food residues, household waste, or sewage sludge," she explains. She highlights the advantages offered by biogas due to its versatility, as it "can be used to generate heat and/or electricity, or purified to obtain a gas similar to natural gas and injected into the grid or used as fuel in adapted vehicles."

The development of new bioprocesses and bioproducts

The traditional economic model based on the use of fossil energy sources has evolved over the past decades towards a more sustainable horizon, not only due to its harmful environmental impact but also due to the increasing prices and limitations posed by its finite nature.

Biomass has great potential as a sustainable alternative. Although its use as an energy source is not new, doing so efficiently is. This is the case of CLaMber (Castilla-La Mancha Bio-Economy Region), whose R&D biorefinery has two main lines of research: fermentation with pure culture and anaerobic digestion for the valorization of fermentable wet biomass.

"As long as there is human activity, local and biodegradable as a substitute for fossil-origin materials, biotechnology will be greatly enhanced thanks to the biodegradability that biomass presents compared to petroleum," argues Javier Mena Sanz, Scientific Coordinator-Biorefinery R&D+I at CLaMber.

Until now, fossil materials have been used to produce products through thermal and/or chemical processes with or without catalysts, but with the use of biomass, "fermentative processes in which bacteria, fungi, or yeasts transform biomass into bioproducts, including biofuels, or even the use of plants as biofactories are gaining ground at a rapid pace," he emphasizes, highlighting that "we have the advantage that any biological process is always more profitable than its chemical counterpart."

Decarbonization strategies and improvement of energy efficiency

Biotechnology is not only a pioneer but also an instrument in the search for new energy sources. If we ask ourselves what elements of a strategy to combat climate change can lead to climate neutrality by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, in this roadmap towards zero emissions, elements such as the energy efficiency of buildings, processes, and vehicles used, for example, stand out.

This reality places us in front of the necessary decarbonization process. "We advise on issues such as thermal energy technology, measures to improve plant efficiency, decarbonization strategies, and comprehensive analysis of energy flow, along with their corresponding measurement concepts. Our specialty is comprehensive energy optimization," explain from ZETA, a group specialized in the design, construction, automation, digitization, and qualification of customized biopharmaceutical plants for aseptic process solutions.

"The development of decarbonization concepts involves the challenge of achieving harmony between the expectations of stakeholders (top-down perspective) with an internal perspective. This bottom-up perspective is based on detailed technological assessments showing how much the carbon footprint depth could be reduced under given technological and economic conditions. A comprehensive view includes all areas and activities of the business," they conclude.