Abstract:

Human activities have profound impacts on the world’s environment as well as on the

quality of life. There is a growing awareness that industrial sustainability is a key means

of bringing about reduction of environmental impacts and improving quality of life. The

integration of biotechnology into chemical manufacturing has the potential to reduce

materials and energy consumption as well as the emission of substances hazardous to

health and the environment. In 2000, the Japanese government launched a new research

and development project “Development of a Technological Infrastructure for Industrial

Bioprocesses”. This national project aimed to develop a new biotechnological basis for

making a contribution to lower energy consumption in production, primarily in chemical

production, expanded use of renewable biomass resources, and a decrease of waste and

pollution. This paper describes overview of this national project, focusing on the

development of basic technologies for environmentally friendly industrial bioprocesses.