Page 506 - Refining Biomass Residues for Sustainable Energy and Bioproducts

Blue biotechnology: a vision for 21

future marine biorefineries

Srinivasan Pandi Prabha, Senthil Nagappan, Ravichandran Rathna,
Ravichandran Viveka and Ekambaram Nakkeeran
Department of Biotechnology, Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering (Autonomous),
Sriperumbudur, India

21.1 Introduction

The growing population has intensified the agricultural, urban, and industrial
activities, thereby posing a direct impact on the availability, accessibility, and qual-
ity of renewable and nonrenewable natural resources (Satterthwaite et al., 2010).
This has ultimately exacerbated the global inequality on climate, which grabs atten-
tion on the ocean world. Furthermore, they have the potential to revolutionize from
medicine to energy sector through eco-sustainable technology. It is an undeniable
fact that oceans significantly contribute to the world’s economy and can address the
present and future global societal challenges. Howbeit, the mysteries of aquatic eco-
systems remain deep and vast in cosmic proportions. Blue biotechnology is a fasci-
nating young discipline that encompasses the vision of contemporary biology.
Earth is often termed ocean planet (Blue Planet) since 96.5% of 71% of earth’s
water exist in oceans and seas. Inevitably, the marine biosphere is considered to be
the inexhaustible resource of multifarious habitats, however, not yet fully eluci-
dated. With an incessant advancement in science and technology, it has gained
international interest to exploit the marine diversities using blue or marine biotech-
nology. The physical, biological, chemical, and genetic diversity of the marine spe-
cies is the key toward significant transformation in biotechnology (Blunt et al.,
2009). Marine resources play a significant role to tackle global food security,
energy crisis, and health disparities through sustainable blue technology. Therefore,
world countries are developing a tactical roadmap to substantiate the economic
growth through blue technology, as a result, knowledge of marine organisms, eco-
systems, and related policy actions could be understood and assessed.
Global population needs and potential ocean resources lead to the development
of technologies for the sustainable evolution of blue-based commercial products
such as biofuels, bioplastics, food, chemicals, enzymes, and other essential com-
modities. The perspective of bioplastics, agrobased chemicals, and biofuels from
marine resources is considered as the promising prospects in the near future.
Further, the integrated production of high-value products through marine biorefi-
neries (MBR) could also reduce the production cost. Blue biotechnology is the key
to realizing the potential for human health and well-being. Marine natural products
Refining Biomass Residues for Sustainable Energy and Bioproducts. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818996-2.00021-1
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