Business from technology

Bioprocessing of renewable natural materials

Competence

VTT develops biotech competences needed to realize value chains based on novel renewable raw materials. Industrial end products of these value chains include (bio)chemicals from renewables, liquid biofuels and biomaterials. New product properties, products and process solutions adding value for forest, food and chemical industries are created by controlled utilization of enzymes and microbes. VTT works for discovery, improvement and exploitation of enzymes using up-to-date methodology, combining profound scientific knowledge to our customers’ processes. VTT also carries out research on microbiological durability and processability of industrial materials.

Challenges

We develop feasible industrial technologies for utilization of local and global renewable materials by applying sustainable biotechnical methods, often combined with chemical or mechanical processing. Development of intelligent solutions to various industrial needs challenges us to optimally combine modern biotechnology with the latest biotechnical methodology, bioinformatics and ICT.

Solutions

• Discovery and improvement of enzymes for industrial processing
  
• High-throughput screening
  
• Oxidoreductases
  
• Enzymes for bioethanol process
  
• Modification of fibre materials for improved processing
  
• Functionalization of fibre
  
• Enzyme based functional or intelligent concepts (e.g. biofuel cells, bioactive paper)
  
• Material microbiology and Indoor Air Quality Simulator
  
• Evaluation of ecotoxicology and biodegradability of industrial materials
  
• Safety research on the final disposal site of high radioactive waste in the geological environment
  

Benefits

• Sustainable technology for renewable raw materials
  
• Novel and improved enzymes for biomass processing
  
• Novel and improved functional products and material properties for lignocellulosic and synthetic materials
  
• Versatile and multifunctional microbiological resistance and durability of materials
  
• Molecular methods to monitor geobiochemical processes in geological environments
  

Refrences and merits

• Co-ordination of and participation in several large EU-projects (e.g. DISCO, TIME, HYPE, NILE, BIOMEDNANO)
  
• Long term leading research on biotechnology of the pulp and paper industry was acknowledged by Marcus Wallenberg prize at 2003
  
• Extensive international collaboration network (e.g. Cost Action 928 and Cost FP0602)
  
• High scientific level (annually ca. 1.5 peer reviewed publications per scientis