World focus on bio-products

Leading scientists gathered in Rotorua this week to discuss utilising bio-products.

Leading scientists gathered in Rotorua this week to discuss New Zealand moving away from fossil fuels and utilising bio-products.

Scion, along with biotech mothership NZBIO, hosted the two-day industrial biotech symposium.

The event featured international speakers who gave a "mostly global perspective on the advancements of biofuel technology around the world", NZBIO chief executive Dr Will Barker said.

Keynote speakers included William Weaver from Nuplex Industries who looked at bio-based solutions to meet some of the company's environmental challenges and Scottish-based Igenza's Dr Rueben Carr who explained new technologies for converting renewable feedstocks into valuable bio-products.

Suzan van Krutchen from the Dutch institute for standardisation in Delft also gave an address on European Commission research programmes dealing with international standardisation and regulation knowledge for the bio-based economy.

Dr Barker said the symposium was "well attended", attracting about 70 scientists who believed industrial biotech could provide a sustainable shift away from the use of fossil fuels.

"The symposium was a great couple of days and we got a lot of good feedback about the topics explored. Overall we would class the event as a 10 out of 10."

Dr Barker said scientists from the Ferrier Institute (Victoria University), University of Otago, Scion, Callaghan Innovation and local bio-materials firms provided an insight and update on the action targeting waste streams and raw materials in New Zealand.

"Getting people working in industrial biotech together is valuable in itself.

"It's a bit of a brains-fest and you never know what could come out of it.

"But one thing is certain, New Zealand needs to remain at the cutting edge so it can maximise its booty of renewable resources using industrial biotech processes."