The Belgian Interdisciplinary Platform for Industrial Biotechnology or BIPIB is a Belgian organization which consists of three working groups which come together on biomass supply, bioprocesses and bioproducts, bio-energy. It was founded by Els Van Weert, Flemish secretary for sustainable development and social economy. The BIPIB was given the mission to provide advise for a long-term strategy for developing industrial biotechnology in Belgium.
January 2009 update: The platform is not active and no recommendations were implemented.
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Biopolymers are polymers produced by living organisms; in other words, they are polymeric biomolecules. Biopolymers contain monomeric units that are covalently bonded to form larger structures. There are three main classes of biopolymers, classified according to the monomeric units used and the structure of the biopolymer formed: polynucleotides, which are long polymers composed of 13 or more nucleotide monomers; polypeptides, which are short polymers of amino acids; and polysaccharides, which are often linear bonded polymeric carbohydrate structures. Other examples of biopolymers include rubber, suberin, melanin and lignin.
Biotechnology is the broad area of biology, involving living systems and organisms to develop or make products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use". Depending on the tools and applications, it often overlaps with the (related) fields of molecular biology, bio-engineering, biomedical engineering, biomanufacturing, molecular engineering, etc.
The economy of Belgium is a modern, capitalist economy that has capitalised on the country's central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Belgium is the first country to undergo an industrial revolution on the continent of Europe in the early 19th century and has since developed an excellent transportation infrastructure of ports, canals, railways, and highways to integrate its industry with that of its neighbours. Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flanders in the north, around Brussels and in the two biggest Walloon cities, Liège and Charleroi, along the sillon industriel. Belgium imports raw materials and semi-finished goods that are further processed and re-exported. Except for its coal, which is no longer economical to exploit, Belgium has few natural resources other than fertile soils. Nonetheless, most traditional industrial sectors are represented in the economy, including steel, textiles, refining, chemicals, food processing, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, electronics, and machinery fabrication. Despite the heavy industrial component, services account for 74.9% of GDP, while agriculture accounts for only 1% of GDP.
A renewable resource is a natural resource which will replenish to replace the portion depleted by usage and consumption, either through natural reproduction or other recurring processes in a finite amount of time in a human time scale. Renewable resources are a part of Earth's natural environment and the largest components of its ecosphere. A positive life cycle assessment is a key indicator of a resource's sustainability.
Biolex Therapeutics was a biotechnology firm in the Research Triangle of North Carolina that was founded in 1997 and raised $190 million from investors. It filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on July 5, 2012.
Polylactic acid or polylactide (PLA) is a thermoplastic polyester with backbone formula (C
3H
4O
2)
n or [–C(CH
3)HC(=O)O–]
n, formally obtained by condensation of lactic acid C(CH
3)(OH)HCOOH with loss of water. It can also be prepared by ring-opening polymerization of lactide [–C(CH
3)HC(=O)O–]
2, the cyclic dimer of the basic repeating unit.
Bioplastics are plastic materials produced from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable fats and oils, corn starch, straw, woodchips, sawdust, recycled food waste, etc. Bioplastic can be made from agricultural by-products and also from used plastic bottles and other containers using microorganisms. Common plastics, such as fossil-fuel plastics are derived from petroleum or natural gas. Not all bioplastics are biodegradable nor biodegrade more readily than commodity fossil-fuel derived plastics. Bioplastics are usually derived from sugar derivatives, including starch, cellulose, and lactic acid. As of 2014, bioplastics represented approximately 0.2% of the global polymer market.
Biodegradable plastics are plastics that can be decomposed by the action of living organisms, usually microbes, into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass. Biodegradable plastics are commonly produced with renewable raw materials, micro-organisms, petrochemicals, or combinations of all three.
The Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology was a Flemish agency between 1991 and 2015. It was an externally autonomized agency of the Flemish Government, in charge of innovation policy in Flanders and located in the Ellipse-Building in Brussels.
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) is an independent non-departmental public body, formed under the Climate Change Act (2008) to advise the United Kingdom and devolved Governments and Parliaments on tackling and preparing for climate change. The Committee provides advice on setting carbon budgets, and reports regularly to the Parliaments and Assemblies on the progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The CCC has recommended net zero greenhouse gas emissions by the United Kingdom by 2050 and the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) has said it would be affordable. On the 27th of June 2019 the British Parliament amended the Climate Change Act (2008) to include a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050. However some environmental groups, such as Extinction Rebellion, are calling for a more ambitious target.
Erik Tambuyzer is a Belgian bio-engineer and businessman. He is Chairman of the Board of the Flemish Center for Medical Innovation (CMI).
Biobased economy, bioeconomy or biotechonomy refers to economic activity involving the use of biotechnology in the production of (bio-based) goods, services, or energy from biological material as the primary resource base. An important aspect of the bioeconomy is understanding mechanisms and processes at the genetic, molecular, and genomic levels, and applying this understanding to creating or improving industrial processes, developing new products and services, and producing new energy.
The Sartorius group is an international pharmaceutical and laboratory equipment supplier, covering the segments of Bioprocess Solutions and Lab Products & Services.
China has seen double-digit growth in its biotechnology industry and has gone from being one of the slowest to one of the fastest nations in the adoption of new biotechnologies. The biotech sector is seen in China and internationally as a core area of national scientific and economic development. The main national biotech body in the country is the China National Center for Biotechnology Development. The CNCBD is an organization established on November 3, 1983 under the Ministry of Science and Technology with the approval of the State Council. CNCBD is the sole national center to coordinate and implement the national S&T program in Biotechnology and Health.
Bioproducts or bio-based products are materials, chemicals and energy derived from renewable biological resources.
The Hyundai Blue-Will is a plug-in petrol-electric hybrid concept compact car designed by the South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company. The vehicle was debuted at the 2009 Seoul Motor Show in South Korea.
Bioproducts engineering or bioprocess engineering refers to engineering of bio-products from renewable bioresources. This pertains to the design and development of processes and technologies for the sustainable manufacture of bioproducts from renewable biological resources.
Bio Base Europe is an innovation and training center for the biobased economy. It is a platform that supports the development of sustainable, biobased products such as bio-chemicals, bio-plastics, bio-materials, bio-detergents, bio-energy, etc. from renewable biomass resources. Its mission is to stimulate sustainable development and economic growth by facilitating R&D and training for biobased process development. It consists of a Pilot Plant for the biobased economy located in the port of Ghent (Belgium), and a Training Center for the biobased economy in Terneuzen (Netherlands).
BioTork is a biotechnology company founded in 2008 that specializes in the optimization of industrial fermentation processes. BioTork provides robust microorganisms that are able to convert low-value, raw carbon sources such as agroindustrial by-products and waste into high-value chemical commodities. These biochemical commodities such as omega-3 oil, lipids, fuels, enzymes, plastics and other compounds are derived from renewable feedstock using a continuous culture technology.
The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) is the largest trade organization in the world that represents the biotechnology industry. On January 4, 2016 the Biotechnology Industry Organization changed its name to be the Biotechnology Innovation Organization.