13th International Biotechnology Symposium and Exhibition: Biotechnology for the Sustainability of Human Society

Abstract

Under the auspices of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), the 13th International Biotechnology Symposium and Exhibition (IBS-2008) was successfully held in Dalian, China from 12–17 October 2008. As the largest premier international conference in the rapidly growing field of biotechnology, it is the first time for the IBS to be held in China since its inception in Rome in 1960. With the theme of ‘‘Biotechnology for the Sustainability of Human Society’’, this conference has attracted over 2,500 participants from 80 countries and regions, demonstrating its far-reaching impact on the world of biotechnology. As the guest editors, it is our great honor to present eight selected papers from the conference, mainly covering two topics of biofuels and protein biotechnology in this thematic Section of Biotechnology Letters as a snapshot of this world event. With the depletion of fossil fuels and global warming related to their consumption, biofuels and bioenergy from renewable biomass become a hot topic in both R&D and industry. As the largest coffee producer and exporter in the world, Brazil has millions of tons of coffee husks as the by-product from coffee processing. Franca et al. have explored the feasibility of ethanol production from coffee husks as agricultural residue in Brazil. The research demonstrated a good potential of ethanol production from coffee husks for biofuels uses. As the cleanest energy source, hydrogen energy has attracted global interest in both production and uses. Wang et al. have demonstrated that hydrogen can be efficiently produced from lignocellulose and cellulose using a sequential co-culture system of mesophilic cellulose degrading bacteria Enterococcus gallinarum and a hydrogen producing bacteria Ethanoigenens harbinense B49. This study presents a potential route in the conversion of renewable cellulose biomass into hydrogen energy. Similarly, Shi et al. demonstrated the production of hydrogen from kitchen wastes using anaerobic fermentation. The economic analysis indicated the hydrogen production cost from kitchen W. Zhang (&) Marine Bioproducts Engineering Group, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Rd., 116023 Dalian, China e-mail: Wei.Zhang@flinders.edu.au