1

PROJECT REPORT
ON

ROLE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN
CHEMICAL AND ALLIED
INDUSTRIES

Submitted To:

Submitted By:

Mr Lakshmikant Pandey

Srushti Jayant Deshmukh

Faculty

III SEM

Chemical Engineering Department

Chemical Engineering

LNCT, BHOPAL

LNCT, BHOPAL

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project report entitled Role of Biotechnology in Chemical and
Allied industries done by student of Bachelor of Engineering at LNCT, BHOPAL has
been performed under the able guidance of Mr. Lakshmikant Pandey. The matter
embodied in this project has not been submitted earlier for the award of any degree or
diploma and is true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Date: 20 DECEMBER, 2015

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Words are not just enough to express my gratitude but I take this opportunity to express
my profound sense of gratitude and respect to all those who helped me throughout the
duration of this project. I acknowledge the effort of those who have contributed
significantly to my project.
I feel privileged to offer my sincere thanks and deep sense of gratitude to Mr.
Lakshimkant Pandey, Faculty Member, for expressing their confidence in me by letting
me work on a project of this magnitude and using latest technologies and providing
their support, help & encouragement in implementing this project.
Last but not the least, am grateful to all my friends for providing critical feedback &
support whenever required.
There are times in such projects when clock beats you time and you run out of energy,
you just want to finish it once and forever. Parents and Friends made us endure such
times with their unfailing humor & warm wishes.

ABSTRACT
This project report has been performed on the topic ROLE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN
CHEMICAL AND ALLIED INDUSTRIES. This projects aims to study how important
biotechnology can be for its contribution to the ever widening scope of chemical
industries. It can play an instrumental role also in environment protection while also
uncompromising on the concerns of profit and efficiency of production in chemical
plants. The myriad applications as illustrated can be specially utilized to explore the
potential of this multidisciplinary subject of biotechnology and harness maximum
benefits out of it. The details and subsections of the applications and future
perspectives have been studied carefully in the process and have been compiled
together in this project report.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Serial
No.

Topics

Page
No.

INTRODUCTION

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

BIOPROCESSES AND REACTIONS INVOLVED

ADVANTAGES OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

10

APPLICATIONS AND ASSOCIATED AVENUES

12

CHALLENGES INVOLVED

14

CONCLUSION

15

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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INTRODUCTION
According to the IUPAC, Biotechnology is the application of biochemistry, biology,
microbiology and chemical engineering to industrial process and products and on the
environment. It is an absolutely multidisciplinary subject that ranges from manifesting
into genetic coding, molecular biology, transgenic species study, chemical industries,
pharmaceuticals etc.
Interdependent studies of both could help us upon the loopholes of technology and the
questions which now could be solved by simple applications of some complex processes
in biotechnology. It indicates the usage of living species both plants and animals as
agents of change and virtue to not only help raise production, exemplify the quality of
production but also sometimes proven to be the savior of the environment by becoming
environment friendly.
Apart from this, its important to note what exactly we refer to when we try to
improvise both the fields of biotechnology and the chemical industries. The global
chemical industry has contributed immensely to achieving the present quality of life, but
is under increasing pressure to change current working practices in favor of greener
alternatives. Concerns associated with Biotechnology Advances chemical industry
include its excessive reliance on nonrenewable energy and resources; environmentally
damaging production processes that can be unsafe and produce toxic products and
waste; products that are not readily recyclable and degradable after their useful life;
and excessive regional concentration of production so that social benefits of production
are less widely available. Chemical industry is large.
The worlds chemicals production in 2002 was in excess of 1.3 trillion. This industry
consists of four major subsectors: basic chemicals, specialty chemicals, consumer care
products, and life science products. Biotechnology impacts all these sectors, but to
different degrees. Demarcation between sectors is not clear-cut.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
Basic chemicals or commodity chemicals: represent a mature market. Most of the
top 50 products by volume of production in this category in 1977 were still among the top
50 in 1993. The basic chemical industry is characterized by large plants that operate using
continuous processes, high energy input, and low profit margins. The industry is highly
cyclical because of fluctuations in capacity utilization and feedstock prices. The products
of the industry are generally used in processing applications (e.g. pulp and paper, oil
refining, metals recovery) and as raw materials for producing other basic chemicals,
specialty chemicals, and consumer products, including manufactured goods (textiles,
automobiles, etc.)
Specialty chemicals are derived from basic chemicals but are more technologically
advanced and used in lesser volumes than the basic chemicals. Examples of specialty
chemicals include adhesives and sealants, catalysts, coatings, and plastic additives.
Specialty chemicals command higher profit margins and have less cyclic demand than
basic chemicals. Specialty chemicals have a higher value-added component because they
are not easily duplicated by other producers or are protected from competition by
patents.

Consumer care products include soaps, detergents, bleaches, laundry aids, hair care
products, skin care products, fragrances, etc., and are one of the oldest segments of the
chemicals business. These formulated products are generally based on simple chemistry
but feature a high degree of differentiation along brand lines. Increasingly, products in
this category are high-tech in nature and developing those demands expensive research.
Life science products these include pharmaceuticals, products for crop protection and
products of modern biotechnology. Batch production methods are generally used in
making these products. The sector is one of the most research intensive and relies on
advanced technology
Extensive research is still a need of the hour in this field which can alone satiate the
thirst of advancement and collaboration in order to reaffirm the positive outlook of the
people

BIOPROCESSES AND REACTIONS INVOLVED

A BIOPROCESS is any large scale operation which involves the transformation of
substrate i.e. biological or non biological raw materials upon which a micro-organism
acts into some product i.e. biomass, metabolite or transformations production of a
starting material by means of micro organisms animal, plants cell cultures or by material
i.e. enzymes , organelles derived from them.
Most biotechnological processes can be represented as:

Substrate + Micro-organism -------- Product

There are generally three steps in any bioprocess. These are pre- treatment, bio reaction
and downstream processing. The pre-treatment step converts raw material or feedstock
or substrate into a form which is suitable for processing. The commonly used operations
for pre-treatment are: Sorting, Sieving, hydrolysis, sterilization, medium formulation etc.
The pre treatment step is followed by one or more bioreactor stages in bioreactor
where desired biotransformation takes place. The commonly used operation in
bioreactor is; Biomass production, metabolite biosynthesis, immobilized enzyme and
cell catalysts transformations.
The materials produced in the bioreactors is processed further in there downstream
section of the process to convert it to a useful form. The commonly used operations in
downstream processing are Filtration, Ultra filtration, Precipitation, Crystallization.
Chromatography, Evaporation, Drying and Packaging.

Fig 1: The compounds (other than ethanol) produced by fermentation reactions in the
chemical industry
Table 1: World Output of Biotechnological Products in Tons per Year
PRODUCT

TONNES PER YEAR

Beer Wine

54,000

Baker's yeast

25,500

Protein

600

Yeast

800

Citric acid

300

Antibiotics

250

Glutamic acid

300

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ADAVANTAGES OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN
CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES:

(a) Cleaner production since fewer wastes will be generated. It can eliminate
environmental concerns over the disposal of chemical processing wastes.
(b) Increased product yield.
(c) Reaction steps will be reduced, usually compressed into one synthesis and one,
isolation step in a biotech process. The outcome is a 75% saving in capital equipment
costs and a 50% cut in operation cost.
(d) Cost-effective routes and new chemical entities possible.
(e) Low-cost raw materials. Use of cellulose and biomass will reduce the cost. We will
see the first bio-refineries in a few years.
(F) Innovative can provide new strategy for value creation.
(g) No by-products generated which, are having undesirable color or odor.
(h) High region- stereo-selectivity of biocatalytic reactions.
(i) Using plant biomass, as feedstock means feedstock grows, and it consumes CO2
one of the greenhouse gases.
(j) Use of plant biomass if successfully done will provide primary feedstock as well as
energy. Today at least 5 billion kilograms of commodity chemicals are produced
annually in the United States using plant biomass as the primary feedstock.
(k) Unlike many chemical reactions that require very high temperatures and pressures,
reactions using biological molecules work best ambient temperatures under 100F,
atmospheric pressure and water-based solutions. Therefore, manufacturing processes
that use biological molecules can lower the amount of energy needed to drive reactions.

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Given below are the results of an experiment concurrently performed with and without
the use of biotechnology.
Table 2 Comparison of chemical and bioprocess for Acrylamide Production
Chemical process

Reaction temperature

Bioprocess

70C

0 15C

Single-pass reaction yield

70 80 %

100 %

Acrylamide concentration

30 %

48 50 %

Product concentration

necessary

not required

Energy demand (steam and electricity-demand

in MJ/kg Acrylamide)

1.9

0.4

CO2 production (kg CO2/kg acrylamide)

1.5

0.3

The results as shown above are sufficient to study and prove the efficacy which the
field of biotechnology can have on the overall production process along with
reducing the energy demand considerably and also reducing on the carbon dioxide
production.

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APPLICATIONS AND ASSOCIATED AVENUES

INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
The main applications of industrial biotechnology are;
1) Production of chemicals like methanol, ethanol, acetone, lactic acid etc
2) Production of cheap fuels, less useful and abundant substances like methanol,
biogas, sugarcane, biogases, wood etc
3) Production of antibiotics like penicillin, streptomycin, erythromycin etc steroids,
vitamins etc the antibiotics kill or disable disease causing microbes like
pathogenic bacteria.
4) Extraction of minerals through leaching from low grade ores etc with the help of
microbes etc.

FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY

The main applications of food biotechnology include:

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

To increase the nutritive value of foods

Mushroom cultivation
Prevention of spoilage and efficient grain storage to eliminate pests and rodents
Production of fermented foods through enzymes engineering
Production of single proteins such as soybean meal and fish meal which are most
attractive , affordable and nutritive food stuffs
6) Production of sweeter high fructose syrups by the transformation of glucose to
fructose and enzymes etc
ENVIRONMENT BIOTECHNOLOGY IN CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES
The main applications of environment biotechnology as far as pollution caused by
chemical industries:
1)
2)
3)
4)

Biological treatment of sewage and industrial effluents

Use of biosensors for environment monitoring
Use of microbes as pollution indicators.
Biodegradation of synthetic materials like synthetic materials like polymers and
plastics resins
5) Development of new species of bacteria by genetic engineering to clean oil spills
and the hydrocarbon wastes
6) Detoxification of wastes and industrial effluents
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FIBRE, PULP AND PAPER PULPING

1) Through biotechnology and improved silviculture, trees and other bio resources
used in papermaking can be specifically tailored to match the properties
required in cellulose fibers
2) This can greatly increase useful paper yield from trees
3) Enhance product quality and decrease requirements for energy and chemicals
used in papermaking.
4) Producing optimal fibers for papermaking through genetic engineering requires a
better understanding of fiber biosynthesis in plants.
5) Furthermore, use of engineered microorganisms and enzymes can displace many
of the environmentally adverse practices used in pulp processing.
COSMETICS, TOILETRIES, SOAPS AND DETERGENTS

1) The cosmetics and toiletries industry has traditionally been a major user of
biologically sourced materials and fine chemicals.
2) Enzymes are finding use in cosmetics. For example, laccase is used in hair dyeing
products.
3) Lipases and proteases are added to help in removing oil and protein stains,
respectively.
4) In addition, celluloses are added to help prevent pilling of cotton. These enzymes
are increasingly produced by using genetically modified microorganisms.
5) Detergent formulations typically contain less than 1% enzyme by volume, but
the enzymes contribute about 8% to the cost of the detergent.
AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS

1) Mainly fertilizers and pesticides are used in massive amounts worldwide to

sustain the productivity of land.
2) Because of their widespread use, agrochemicals are an important source of
pollution, health risk, and consume large amounts of resources in their
production.
3) Biotechnology can supply useful products that can replace conventional
agrochemicals, or enhance their effectiveness so that their overall consumption
is reduced.
4) In addition, biotechnology can provide animal feeds with enhanced nutritional
and keeping quality, to improve the sustainability of animal production

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CHALLENGES INVOLVED
There are, of course, also some challenges with the biocatalysts. The stability of the
enzymes or microorganisms: Being usually high molecular proteins, enzymes tend to
be sensitive to temperature, pH, oxidation, mechanical shearing and attack by other
enzymes like proteases, their lifetime is only limited.
In many cases, immobilization - that means coupling to a usually solid support - is a
method of expanding the lifetime of an enzyme catalyst. Usually bioconversions run
in an aqueous medium, and most organic substrates are lipophilic and thus only
poorly soluble in water.
Though there are many groups of researchers trying to adapt enzymes to organic
solvents, and many papers have been published, the major breakthrough in this field
for a technical application has not yet been achieved.

One other minor problem is the requirement of cofactors. These molecules, like NAD
or ATP, are very costly and this problem has to be overcome. There are several
possibilities. First, you take the whole cells, let them do the job, and throw them
away. This, of course, can be done only with very cheap organisms, like bakers
yeast, for instance.

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CONCLUSION

The application of biotechnology across various industry sectors has invariably led to
both economic and environmental benefits including less expensive processing,
enhanced product quality, entirely new products, and environmentally sustainable
processing relative to conventional operations.
Economic drivers are the main factor for increasing acceptance of bioprocessing and
bioproducts, but sustainability considerations are playing an increasing role. In effect,
the application of biotechnology has contributed to an uncoupling of economic growth
from adverse environmental impact. Industrial biotechnology is changing the way
energy, chemicals, and other products are produced.
Through engineered biocatalysis, biotechnology is enabling the use of previously
unusable renewable materials and production of novel products. Functionally
acceptable products that are less polluting and persistent than conventional
counterparts are emerging. All this is being achieved with reduced environmental
impact and enhanced sustainability. Undoubtedly, biotechnology is set to transform
industrial production to a basis that is more compatible with the biosphere.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Engineering Chemistry: Shashi Chawala

Research papers by Maria Gavrilescua, and Yusuf Chistib
www.essential chemicalindustries.org
www.biotechsupportbase.com

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