ABSTRACT
Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................... 96
References ........................................................................................................................... 97
The biotech industry has evolved into three major areas of application: (1) ‘‘red biotech-
nology’’ (pharmaceutical, therapeutic/medical applications); (2) ‘‘green biotechnology’’
(agricultural applications); and (3) ‘‘white biotechnology’’ (industrial applications). White
biotechnology is at a relatively early stage in the chemical industry, but is seen as a potential
key driver to the industry’s future. Industrial applications of biotechnology today include
biofeedstocks that replace fossil fuel with sugars and starch, bioprocesses such as fermentation
for vitamin production, biocatalysis in active pharmaceutical ingredient production, and other
applications in textiles and leather, animal feed, pulp and paper, energy, metals, minerals and
waste processing.McKinsey &Company [1] estimates that by 2010 the chemical industry could
generate 10 to 20% of its sales revenue from chemicals derived from biotechnology. The largest
component would be fine chemicals at 30 to 60% of sales from biotech, specialty chemicals
(15%), polymers (6%), and bulk chemicals (12%). The most likely area of increased penetration
54 Biocatalysis in the Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Industries
for biotechnology is in fine chemical/pharmaceutical manufacture, where it is estimated that
$30 billion to $60 billion in additional value could be generated by 2010 as evident by the shift
in demands toward biologics, chiral products, and natural products.
