Biotech industry welcomes EU support for Biorefineries
EuropaBio strongly supports the initiative taken by the European Commission in conjunction with the Finnish Presidency to promote the development of biorefineries in Europe at the European Conference on Biorefinery Research in Helsinki.
According to EuropaBio, Biorefineries are a key element of the bio-based economy which is encompassing a future society no longer wholly dependent on fossil fuels for energy and industrial raw materials. There are many examples of bio-based products already on the market, such as biofuels, biopolymer fibres for household applications or bioplastics. Biotechnological processes also form the basis for the manufacture of some antibiotics, vitamins, amino acids and laundry detergents which use enzymes that decrease the temperature of water without compromising cleanliness.
"Biorefineries use renewable raw materials to produce energy and a wide range of everyday products in an economically viable manner", says Jack Huttner, Chairman of the Industrial Biotechnology Council of EuropaBio. "By working to decrease our dependency on fossil fuel reserves, biorefineries are seen as a promising route to keeping Europe prosperous while preserving the environment. "
In the next few weeks, EuropaBio plans to publish a full policy document to develop the knowledge based bio-economy in Europe, and biorefineries will be a key element.
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