Model for Zero Emission Biotech in Asia

Developing Asian countries need to remember that harmony with nature needs to be respected. Biorefineries, for instance, must be "fully integrated with nature in contributing to the sustenance of economic development and a safe and unpolluted environment". Hitomi Ohara of the Kyoto Institute of Technology in Japan proposes "A model for zero emission biotechnology in Asian countries"  as an option for switching over to alternative energy sources.

Ohara calls for holistic science and technology to achieve a society that strikes a balance between the intricate systems of nature. It is necessary to develop "a chemistry that considers influences on the global environment  in a holistic way". For example, waste or by-products must be used in the process of producing target compounds, and hence, the need to choose key materials and produce them efficiently.

The full paper is one of a series of articles on biorefineries in the Asian Biotechnology and Development Review, a publication of the Research and Information System for Developing Countries. Email Hitomi Ohara at ohara@kit.jp.