December 2004

Source: BioCrop News Volume 3 Issue 4 via Agnet Jan. 7/05 - II

Look at canola, flax or wheat through the crystal ball of the bioproducts experts and more than likely you will be seeing a green future. These are the research scientists and business developers who envision a new era of value-added crops in Canada producing industrial products in addition to food.

"Not since World World II has there been such a focus on bio-based technologies for new and different product performance attributes," says Ron Kehrig, Vice-President of BioProducts and BioProcesses, AgWest Bio Inc. "Part of what’s driving the trend is that we must be more carbonneutral in our strategy to grow GDP in Canada."

Agriculture can offer many solutions to the problems of climate change, dwindling oil supplies and health costs, says Kehrig. He cites many examples starting with Dow Cargill’s polylactic acid or PLA, a plastic made from cornstarch-based lactic acid for use in reuseable containers. That joint venture which started production in 2000 now sells about 140,000 tonnes a year for packaging and bedding.

Also consider the examples of Dow Chemical’s "Woodstalk" brand that uses excess wheat straw in particle board. There are many new uses being developed for many different plant parts: plant –based oils in solvents, electrical transformer fluids, non-yellowing alkaloid-based paints or new polymers and fibers.

Look no further than the Flax Canada 2015 initiative coordinated by Ag-West Bio Inc. to understand the resolve for increasing the value of flax oil and fiber. The goal is to add value to all segments of the flax industry which is producing products with both human and animal health benefits.

The non-food applications are expected to play a significant role. A very different bioproducts strategy may be underway in Ontario, if the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade accepts a report from Gregory Penner, NeoBio Consulting. Based in Canada’s industrial heartland, Penner notes that Ontario is quickly losing its capacity to manufacture simple chemicals. That business is moving to other geographies in North America and abroad. "I think the bioproducts transformation will be successful if it’s pulled by industry for specific uses," predicts Penner.

"For instance, we could replace intermediate chemicals like polystyrene benzene which are used in making styrofoam meat trays and replace them with carbon and hydrogen molecules from crops. We must integrate into the current industrial infrastructure to be cost competitive. Why? Because even at $56/barrel oil, many of these bio-based solutions are still not competitive."

His "pull" strategy of public/private partnerships would link industry with four sectors: chemicals, functional fibres, renewable transport fuels, and forestry. Penner’s list is almost identical to that in an October 9, 2004 special report in The Economist, which chronicles the non-food use of genetic modification (GM). That article points out that the next revolution is clearly in nonfood uses of GM technology. In the unlikely case that you are not eating GM foods, you are most certainly wearing a shirt made from GM cotton.

Sources: Interviews with Ron Kehrig, Gregory Penner; The Economist, October 9, 2004 issue (Special report: Non food GM http://www.economist.com/science/display Story.cfm?story_id=3262377 )

For more information: Pollution Probe’s Citizen’s Primer on Bioproducts.