Advanced Biotechnology Opens Up New Opportunities for Water Industry

Exciting market opportunities are opening up for the water and wastewater industry following breakthroughs in advanced biotechnology, according to a new Insight Report from BlueTech Research.

Innovations in the fields of biochemistry and microbiology have allowed the biotechnology sector – estimated to be worth more than US$400 billion – to deliver major advances in the fields of medicine, food production and bioprocessing.

Biotechnology has also always been central to the process of water purification. Historically some of these processes in water were not thoroughly understood, and traditional water treatment was little more than ‘bucket chemistry’.

This is changing. Biochemical and microbiological progress now allows an increasing number of processes to be applied in the water and wastewater sector. These include:

• Encapsulation of strains of bacteria to achieve particular bio-transformations
• Biomimicry and use of aquaporin proteins for desalination
• Bio-augmentation to enhance efficiency and performance of traditional systems
• Turning sewers into treatment systems
• Tackling the food-water-nexus using symbiotic fungi to enhance plant resistance to heat stress and drought

This report will be of interest and value to:

• Biotechnology companies looking to understand the opportunities for next-generation biotech to solve water issues
• Water technology companies looking to understand where the market is going in terms of cutting-edge biotechnology
• Research groups developing and commercialising biotechnologies and licensing opportunities
• Biotech and cleantech venture-capital investors horizon-scanning for the next wave of investment opportunities in this emerging nexus between water, biotech and cleantech

BlueTech has identified some of the key areas of market opportunity, and the report provides an overview of each area, outline current market status, market opportunities and active companies. It also paints the patent landscape and identifies licensing opportunities.

Topics covered will include:

• Aquaporins
• Enzymic hydrolysis for enhanced anaerobic digestion
• Production of bioplastics from wastewater
• Microbial fuel cells (bio-electrochemical systems)
• Short-cut nitrification for nutrient removal
• Low-temperature anaerobic treatment
• Microbial encapsulation
• Symbiosis for drought-resistant crops
• Bio-augmentation