Towards a Canadian R&D Strategy for Bioproducts and Bioprocesses

Large scale technological metamorphoses are far and few between. They send shockwaves of mass destruction to economic systems, by pushing aside those organizations that fail to position themselves in new technological paradigms. During this century, the world will witness a reversal of 20th-century trends, whereby fossil-based hydrocarbons progressively took over from biomass-based carbohydrates. With fossil-based feedstocks running out, there will be an industry metamorphosis, and biomass-based feedstocks will become essential in providing the basic goods that are currently being produced by the petrochemical complex. Although there is some hope of discovering some inexpensive ways of providing energy by physical means to replace fossil-fuels, it is unlikely that organic chemical products will be made from inorganic substances in the near future, e.g. producing plastics from minerals. The core of the Canadian Biostrategy proposed here is to firmly position the country so that it becomes a key player in the biological conversion of agricultural and forest products into biochemicals, biofuels and versatile bioproducts. Whereas the concept of the value-chain provides an integrated view of product flow, from suppliers to end-users, Science-Metrix proposes going one step further. It recommends that a Canadian biostrategy consider the concept of value-added cycling, whereby value is added not only from producer to the consumer, but also during the post-consumption stage. The suggestion is to transform liabilities such as wastes into assets, that is, consumer and industrial products. Value-added cycling can be studied by analysing the carbon-cycle of biomass embedded in products and by integrating life-cycle assessment. Optimization in biological value-adding cycling aims to minimize ecological impact and maximize economic value. Canada is ideally positioned to benefit from this paradigm because it has a tremendous natural advantage that can be transformed into a competitive advantage. Canada is also one of the western countries that have an urgent need to lower the average ecological footprint of its citizens. Science-Metrix recommends that the Canadian Biostrategy starts with Canada's natural advantage. In terms of large scale agricultural feedstocks, Canadian strengths include barley, wheat, oat, canola, linseed, and mustard seed. These resources should be harnessed in the short term to develop the production of value-added bioproducts. However, in the medium to long term, it will likely be better to use crops developed specifically for the production of feedstocks with features sought by industry. Hence, part of the Biostrategy is to develop crops for industrial endpoints rather than for feed and food endpoints. In terms of forestry, Canada has vast resources of tall oil and black liquor that can be transformed into a wide variety of value-added products. Bark is a residue that longs for value-added uses throughout the country. Peat is exceptionally plentiful in Canada compared to other countries, and responsible and sustainable use of this product could prove highly useful, particularly in filtering and in remediation of contaminated sites. Development of agroforestry is promising, particularly where biowaste is used as fertilizer. There is a clear need to carefully consider the re-entry of human and animal wastes into the value-adding cycle. These feedstocks are potentially potent fertilizers, but, for safety reasons, extra care should be taken that these types of waste not cycle back as human food or animal feed. These forms of biowaste should be managed carefully to not pollute the environment and threaten the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems. Science-Metrix recommends a strategy centred on biochemical platforms, versatile bioproducts, and bioprocesses. Based on the availability or potential availability of competitively priced biomass in Canada, market potential, and versatility, this report identifies ten biochemical platforms that show tremendous promise as the basis for a strong Canadian biochemical industry. Many of these platforms have a dual function: firstly, in their raw form, they can often be used as fuel, e.g. ethanol can be used directly as a biofuel; secondly, they are so-called precursors, or intermediates, that can be used in the production of other chemicals, e.g. ethanol is a precursor for ethylene glycol and acetic acid, among others. Many of these chemical platforms have synergies with other platforms. For instance, methanol, a platform biochemical, is an important feedstock in the production of another enabling platform, methyl ester. The enabling biochemical platforms are methyl ester (biodiesel), three types of alcohol (methanol, ethanol, glycol), three types of acid (lactic, levulinic, succinic), and three types of biobased gas (methane, syngas, hydrogen). Science-Metrix also recommends that versatile biomaterials, such as adhesives, lubricants, and composites that are closer to end uses, be developed. The products were selected based on availability of biomass in Canada, market potential, and versatility, which explains why they are called versatile biomaterials. The versatile biomaterials are adhesives and resins, composites, lubricants, pesticides, fertilizers, and plastics. Many of these products can be produced using the aforementioned enabling biochemical platforms as precursors. The industrial metamorphosis from hydrocarbons to carbohydrates will require a rethinking of process technology. This requires new catalysts; it will therefore become important to invent biocatalysts such as enzymes, bacteria, and other microorganisms. Here, just as much as in the development of crops specific to industrial production, genomics will play a central role. There is also a need to improve fermentation technologies, to develop larger-scale bioreactors, and to integrate these in bio-refineries. Bio-refineries will transform biomass into a wide-range of biochemical intermediates, such as the enabling platforms that are expected to occupy centre stage in the Canadian Biostrategy. These intermediates will then be converted into versatile and end-products using existing physical and chemical processes, but also with bioprocesses that hold the promise of cleaner and safer production because they can be used at atmospheric pressure and room temperature in aqueous environments. Science-Metrix recommends that R&D projects be oriented toward solving market needs. Environmental regulations are increasing the demand for biodegradable materials. In addition, particularly in Europe, an increasing proportion of the parts used in automobiles are meant to be recyclable. There is a growing demand for products with greater environmental safety. For instance, there is increasing concern about sick-building syndrome, and this increases demands forconstruction materials with lower emissions of volatile organic compounds. This report presents several markets where important demands can be expected for bioproducts: the transportation, power generation, construction, pulp and paper, printing, packaging, and environmental industries. Currently, Canada does not have a strategy for the development of bioproducts and bioprocesses, and R&D in this field is not a priority of funding agencies and government departments. For instance, between 1998 and 2003, the combined grants of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation provided a mere CDN$50 million in research funds. Additionally, it is very difficult at this time to know precisely how much Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Natural Resources Canada are spending in the area, but it is clear that research funds are limited and currently not spent following a well laid-out plan. Compare this to the US, where the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture have disposed of a budget in excess of US$200 million per year since 1998. Europe has also been spending a substantial amount of money within the European Union framework programmes, in addition to country-level efforts in France, the UK, and other countries. Given these facts, it is not surprising to find that Canada is lagging far behind leading countries in terms of research capability. For instance, between 1998 and 2002, India published more papers (n=1,011) on bioproducts and bioprocesses than Canada (n=887), which seldom happens in other scientific fields. Furthermore, the average growth in number of papers published in this area was 3.8% in Canada during the 1998-2002 period compared to 7.3% at the world level. The most scientific papers in bioproducts and bioprocessing are produced in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia at the provincial level and in Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, and Quebec City at the metropolitan level. Importantly though, Canada ranks fourth in terms of U.S. patent portfolios. Canada has a greater proportion of patents in bioproducts and bioprocesses than in other fields, which is also the case in Denmark, Finland, and Australia. Although Canada does not have a very strong scientific capability in bioproducts and bioprocesses, it may have a relatively potent receptor capability. Given the strategic importance of bioproducts and bioprocesses, Science-Metrix recommends that the Canadian Government invest substantial financial resources to support bioproduct and bioprocess R&D. Three financial scenarios are suggested: 1) Catching up with the US: CDN$425 million between 2005 and 2009; 2) Developing Canada's leadership: CDN$650 million between 2005 and 2009; 3) Defining bioproducts as a top national priority: CDN$850 million between 2005 and 2009.

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