BioP2P Staff
With 85 million motor vehicles produced around the world in 2022 and a market valued at $2.7 trillion, the automotive industry represents about 3 percent of world’s GDP. It also, according to Melik Demirel, represents a big opportunity for biomanufacturing.
Demirel, a co-founder of Tandem Repeat Technologies and a professor at Penn State, writing in Forbes, said biomanufacturing could help make the automotive industry more environmentally friendly. He notes demands on the industry to improve its sustainability will likely continue to rise because of the high carbon footprint of the oil and gas industry in the automobile sector.
“Given the automobile industry’s impact on sustainability, switching to biomanufacturing of automobile parts and components could significantly increase this industry’s circularity and sustainability efforts,” writes Demirel.
He noted there are many places where biomanufacturing could impact the industry. Biomaterials are gaining traction because of their strength and durability and could be used to make lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles. There are also opportunities to create new biolubricants, which offer biodegradability and lower toxicity than traditional lubricants. Biosensors to monitor the health and safety of drivers. And biobatteries and biofuel cells that generate current by diverting electrons from microbial oxidation or enzymatic reactions.
The challenge, though, remains cost.
“For successful biomanufacturing in the automotive sector,” he said, cost parity with synthetic counterparts and improved performance, such as long-term stability and reliability, must be achieved.”
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