Oral Presentations O2.1 Green biotechnology

White Biotechnology is an emerging field within modern biotechnology that serves industry. It uses living cells like moulds, yeasts or bacteria, as well as enzymes to produce goods and services. Living cells can be used as they are or improved to work as „cell factories” to produce enzymes for industry. White biotechnology comprises a large number of scientific disciplines and is based on novel enzymes and micro-organisms, fermentation science, metabolic engineering and modeling, microbial genomics and bio-informatics, biocatalyst function and optimisation, biocatalytic process design, innovative downstream processing, and integrated biorefineries. White biotechnology has a great impact on different industries like chemical, pharmaceutical, food, agriculture and environment protection. The aim of industrial biotechnology development is application of renewable raw materials, reducing waste generation and environment pollution, and production of biodegradable products. These goals can be achieved by replacement of conventional, non biological processes by biotechnologies in classical industries, like manufacturing of textiles, biomaterials etc., and by more sustainable production of high value added materials like fine chemicals, bulk chemicals and intermediates, performance chemicals, biofuels and bio-energy, food and feed ingredients. There is no doubt that white biotechnology takes part in the development of the knowledge-based bio-economy across Europe. Is the same situation in Poland? Are we going to be a real time player or a latecomer in this field. Why the GMO ban brakes the sustainability. In the lecture some examples of recent advances in white biotech will be given and the action for development of white biotechnology in Poland will be discussed.