Industrial Biotechnology for
production of chemicals and
materials
Prof. Merja PenttiläVTT Technical Research Center of Finland
2nd Finnish-Brazilian Workshop on Biomass Conversion: Actions in
Science, Innovation and Education to Create a Sustainable World;
Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), 30th of October 2013
Brussels,
Belgium
VTT on map
Bay Area,
USA
São Paulo,
Brazil
Shanghai,
China
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Seoul,
South Korea
Tokyo,
Japan
••••
•
Tampere
Oulu
Jyväskylä
Helsinki••Turku Rajamäki
•Raahe
• Kajaani
Kuopio•
Finland
Lappeenranta
•Sodankylä
•Rovaniemi
Outokumpu•
Espoo •
VTT Group
Established 1942
Personnel ~ 3 000
The biggest multi
technological research
institute in Northern Europe
Not-for-profit institute
301/11/2013
Tekes, the Finnish
Funding Agency for
Technology and
Innovation
Public decision makers, financiers and
R&D performers
Parliament of Finland
Council of State
Ministry of
Education and
Culture
Academy of
Finland
Ministry of
Employment and
the Economy
Other ministries and
research institutes
Research and
Innovation
Council
VTT
Sitra, the Finnish
Innovation Fund
Finnvera
Finpro
Finnish Industry
Investment Ltd
ELY centres (Centre for Economic Development,
Transport and the Environment)
Universities
401/11/2013
Basic research
Applied research
Development
VTT
VTT’s status as performer of R&D work
VTT is a networker – at national and EU level
501/11/2013
Resource scarcity
Oil dependency
New businesses
Technologies for industries based on natural resources,
targeting at resource wisdom
Forest FoodChemistry
& Bio
Cleantech
Natural resources: forest, other biomass sources, minerals
Energy
Energy and water
efficiency
Drivers
Resource wisdom
Environmental
friendliness
601/11/2013
VTT R&D organisation 2014 VTT Business Areas(Total > 3000 persons)
• Knowledge intensive
products and services
• Smart industry and
energy systems
• Solutions for natural
resources and
environment
Solutions for natural
resources and environ-
ment (Total ~ 650 persons)
Expert Areas
• Industrial biotechnology
• Biofuels and bioenergy
• Process chemistry and
environmental
engineering
• Biomass and food
processing
• Fibres and biomaterials
Industrial biotechnology(Total ~ 120 persons)
Teams
• Metabolic engineering
• Synthetic biology
• Protein production
• Bioproduction
technologies
• Plant biotechnology
and metabolomics
• Performance proteins
701/11/2013
VTT Bioeconomy program
Synthetic biology» Merja Penttilä «
Controlled biomass
deconstruction
technologies» Kristiina Kruus«
Web-based
fibre products» Anna Suurnäkki «
Biobased
Packaging» Esa Torniainen«
Plant based
food» Nesli Sozer «
Performance chemicals» Ali Harlin «
Process & energy concepts» Antti Arjasto «»
Integrated value networks» Magnus Simons « I
Biosociety» Johanna Kohl «
Production
technologies &
systems»Magnus Simons «
801/11/2013
OH
HO
OH
Microbial
cell
factory
901/11/2013
Pretreatment, Fractionation
BIOMASS
Good fibres, valuable extractives, easy sugars?
Products
Energy
Glues
Binders
Products
Specialty
chemicals,
Fatty acids
Products
Nanocellulose,
Composites,
Packages, Coatings,
Paper, Textiles
Products
Biofuels
Biopolymer precursors
Bulk chemicals
Specialty chemicals, etc
Extractives,
Precursor fractions
Suberin, terpenes,
phenolics, lignans
Carbohydrate polymers
Fibers, cellulose,
hemicellulose
starch, flax etc
Sugars
Glucose, Sucrose,
Mannose, Xylose,
Arabinose, Sugar acidsLignin
Protein
Sugarplatform
FOOD
1201/11/2013
OH
HO
OH
Cell
factory
1301/11/2013
Conversion,
e.g. polymer & synthetic chemistry
Hydrolysis
Enzyme discovery Mixture tailoring Hydrolysis
technology
Pretreatment,Fractionation
Steam explosion Organosolv Catalytic oxidation Enzyme aided
technologies
Biomass Wood and forest residues
Agro side streams Energy crops
Bagasse Waste materials
Products
Bioethanol
Other biofuels Biopolymer
precursors Bulk chemicals
Process integrationProcess concepts
SHF SSF CBP
Products
Bioplastics
Specialty
chemicals
Process integrationProcess concepts
SHF SSF CBPModelling
Biorefinery - Sugar platform technologies at VTT
Sugars Glucose Sucrose Mannose
Xylose Arabinose
Galacturonic acid
Fermentation
Microbes Process
technology
Spruce Wheat straw
Pretreated
1401/11/2013
Enzymes
Enzyme production(fermentation)
Conversion,
e.g. polymer & synthetic chemistry
Hydrolysis
Enzyme discovery Mixture tailoring Hydrolysis
technology
Pretreatment,Fractionation
Steam explosion Organosolv Catalytic oxidation Enzyme aided
technologies
Biomass Wood and forest residues
Agro side streams Energy crops
Bagasse Waste materials
Products
Bioethanol
Other biofuels Biopolymer
precursors Bulk chemicals
Process integrationProcess concepts
SHF SSF CBP
Host strainengineering
Enzymeengineering
Products
Bioplastics
Specialty
chemicals
Process integrationProcess concepts
SHF SSF CBPModelling
Biorefinery - Sugar platform technologies at VTT
Sugars Glucose Sucrose Mannose
Xylose Arabinose
Galacturonic acid
Fermentation
Microbes Process
technology
Spruce Wheat straw
Pretreated
1501/11/2013
Enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials
Enzyme properties
Specific activity
Thermal activity and stability
End product inhibition
Non-specific binding
Enzymes mixtures
Composition of cellulase mixture
Role of additional enzymes (hemicellulases, ligninases)
Efficient production hosts and technologies
Trichoderma reesei
Hydrolysis technologies
Separate/simultaneous/stepwise/consolidated
Operational temperature
High dry matter processing
Optimal use of enzymes - recycling
Picture by G.Beckham, NREL
More efficient and economical enzyme concepts
Sugar canebagasse
Sprucechips
1601/11/2013
Enzymes
Enzyme production(fermentation)
Conversion,
e.g. polymer & synthetic chemistry
Hydrolysis
Enzyme discovery Mixture tailoring Hydrolysis
technology
Pretreatment,Fractionation
Steam explosion Organosolv Catalytic oxidation Enzyme aided
technologies
Biomass Wood and forest residues
Agro side streams Energy crops
Bagasse Waste materials
Products
Bioethanol
Other biofuels Biopolymer
precursors Bulk chemicals
Process integrationProcess concepts
SHF SSF CBP
Host strainengineering
Enzymeengineering
Production hostengineering
Metabolic engineering
Pentose fermentation Systems biology
Products
Bioplastics
Specialty
chemicals
Process integrationProcess concepts
SHF SSF CBPModelling
Biorefinery - Sugar platform technologies at VTT
Sugars Glucose Sucrose Mannose
Xylose Arabinose
Galacturonic acid
Fermentation
Microbes Process
technology
Spruce Wheat straw
Pretreated
1701/11/2013
Microbe
Ligno-cellulosics
AgrowasteForest residues
Municipal waste
glucose
xylose arabinose
Polymerprecursors
Lactic acid -> PLA Glycolic acid -> PGA Other organic acids
Terpenes
Metabolic engineering
galacturonicacid
Biofuels
Bioethanol
Biobutanol
Biodiesel
Alkanes
Specialty chemicals
Xylitol
Fruit waste Pectin
Energy crops
Bagasse
Metabolic engineering at VTT
Collaboration with
companies world-wide
1801/11/2013
Industrial biotechnology
evolutionSynthetic biologyGene technology
Systems biology
1st generation
Cell factories
2nd generation
Cell factories3rd generation
Cell factories
• Use of natural organisms,
no genetic engineering
• Strain improvement by random
mutagenesis with chemicals and
radiation
• Transfer of combination of genes
found in nature to the production
organism
• Strain improvement by targeted
gene expression and inactivation
• Design of new-to-nature genes,
gene combinations and synthetic
metabolic reaction pathways,
and ultimately entire cells
• Strain improvement by rapid
automated gene assembly and
transformation, combined with
very high-through-put screening
Organism specific products e.g.• alcohol and flavour compounds with wine
yeasts
• mixture of acetone, butanol and ethanol
(ABE) with bacteria
New traits/products in old hosts e.g.• human insulin with yeast
• high levels of industrial enzymes with fungi
• 2nd generation bioethanol
(C5 fermenting Saccharomyces yeast)
Novel products in tailor-made hosts e.g.
• biotech production of current petrochemicals
• novel jet fuels produced with yeast
• engineered spider silk for superior materials
Raw materials and sugars
naturally used by the microbe
(e.g. starch, glucose, lactose)
Tailor-made carbon and energy use
(e.g. waste CO2, methanol, glycerol)Broadened substrate range
(e.g. (hemi)cellulose, xylose)
1901/11/2013
Bio‐based production of C2–C6 platform chemicals
Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 109: 10, 2437-2459 (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bit.24599/full#fig19
Cell biochemistry can generate platform chemicals
2001/11/2013
CO2
Chemicals
Heat/power
Fibers
Nanocellulose
Construction
materials
Bioeconomy Biomass
based
factories
Current
major
biorefinery
developments
In Finland
Fuels
Combustion
Pulping,
Gasification,
Pyrolysis,
Pretreatment,
Fractionation
2101/11/2013
CO2
Chemicals
Contained production
Heat/power
Fibers
Nanocellulose
Cell Factories
Construction
materials
Bioeconomy Biomass
based
factories
Waste biomass and carbohydrates
SUGAR
Combustion
Pulping,
Gasification,
Pyrolysis,
Pretreatment,
Fractionation
Hydrolysis
Fuels
Food waste
Food
Current
major
biorefinery
developments
In Finland
Chemicals
Aromates
Fuels
Polymers
Nanobio products
Etc, etc
2201/11/2013
CO2
Chemicals
Contained production
Heat/power
Fibers
Nanocellulose
Cell Factories
Construction
materials
Bioeconomy Biomass
based
factories
Waste biomass and carbohydrates
SUGAR
Combustion
Pulping,
Gasification,
Pyrolysis,
Pretreatment,
Fractionation
Hydrolysis
Fuels
Food waste
Food
Current
major
biorefinery
developments
In Finland
Chemicals
Aromates
Fuels
Polymers
Nanobio products
Etc, etc
Bioproduction
in the future:
Direct conversion
of primary resources
to the product
of interest
2301/11/2013
CO2
Chemicals
Contained production
Heat/power
Fibers
Nanocellulose
Construction
materials
Chemicals
Aromates
Fuels
Polymers
Nanobio products
Etc, etc
Industrial flue gas
Atmospheric
Shale gas
Alternative light capture
mechanisms
Photosynthesis
Bioeconomy Biomass
based
factories
Biogas methane
Gasification
Waste biomass and carbohydrates
Methanol
Current
biorefinery
developments
Bioproduction
in the future:
Direct conversion
of primary resources
to the product
of interest
Fuels
CO2
CO2
Food waste
Food
Combustion
Pulping,
Gasification,
Pyrolysis,
Pretreatment,
Fractionation
Hydrolysis
SUGAR
Synthetic
Cell Factories
2401/11/2013
BIOTECHNOLOGY is a cornerstone technology in BIOECONOMY
• Biotechnology is broadly considered as a key enabling technology for
the future (EU, USA etc)
• Syntetic biology is a rapidly evolving cutting edge technology
• Biotech production of current petrochemicals becomes more feasible
• Novel bioinspired products will become available
• Small scale production is possible
• Biotech enables product and business diversification
• Combination of technologies needed
2501/11/2013
Brasilian post-docs and PhD students are welcome at VTTCNPq – VTT agreement on ”Science without Borders” Programme for 20 persons annually
EXAMPLES of BIOECONOMY TOPICS
Renewable energy
Biotechnical production of biofuels
Photovoltaics
Thermochemical conversion of biomass to biofuels
Biotechnology
a. Enzymes for waste water treatment
b. Industrial biotechnology
Cell factory
Enzyme discovery and engineering
Synthetic biology
White biotechnology – Green Chemistry
Biorefinery concepts
Nanotechnology and new materials
Materials from biomass (eucalyptus, bagasse, soya bean)