Industrial Biotechnology

Industrial and Chemical Biotechnology

Biotechnology is defined as the application of the life sciences to chemical synthesis. It discusses its increasingly important role in the directproduction of speciality chemicals via fermentation, such as citric acid, lactic acid, propane-1,3-diol and some amino acids.

Other uses of biotechnology are, for example the production of biofuels(bioethanol and biodiesel), the production of basic feedstocks such as synthesis gas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen) from biomass and the production of biodegradable polymers such as the poly(hydroxyalkanoates).