BioProducts Frequently Asked Questions

Mon, 2010/03/15 - 12:45am — admin
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BioProducts Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is a bioproduct?

A. A bioproduct is a product or service produced using materials (biomass) from living organisms (renewable biological sources). These materials are converted to bioproducts using environmentally friendly processes. BioProducts most commonly originate from marine, agricultural and forestry sources. Some bioproducts are produced from the various urban wastes.

Bioproducts are often manufactured using wastes or by-products from production or manufacturing processes. Some examples are:

  • Biogas from anaerobic digestion of manure or municipal waste - biogas is primarily methane, the main ingredient in natural gas.
  • Biodiesel fuel made from used cooking oils and rendered fish and animal processing plant wastes.
  • Milk proteins from whey (byproduct from making wine) as ingredients in food or health products.
  • Oil from grape seed (waste from making wine) as ingredients in food or health products.

Some bioproducts have been in use for a long time. For example:

  • Compost
  • Fermentation products - alcohol
  • Wood for production of heat and electricity

Bioproducts can also be new (novel) uses for crops, livestock and wastes. For example:

  • Starch has been used for many years to produce a variety of products for the food industry. Starch is now being used as a feedstock in the production of ethanol fuels, biodegradable plastics and a range of other products.
  • Straw has recently been used to make straw board - a building material. The technology has also just been developed to convert straw to sugars for the production of ethanol fuel.
  • Manure is being converted to bio-oil, a liquid that can be burned to drive turbines or as a source of a range of chemicals that are currently coming from petroleum.

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Q. What types of bioproducts are there? (see the BioProducts Community for more information)

A. The types of bioproducts we can produce in B.C. include:

  • Biofuels - bioethanol, biodiesel, methane (biogas), bio-oil, wood pellets
  • Bioenergy - electricity and heat
  • Biochemicals - bioproduct replacements for industrial chemicals to make a wide variety of bioproducts
  • Biocatalysts - enzymes
  • Biomaterials - fabrics, plastics, building materials made from natural fibres or built from chains of molecules derived from compounds such as starch.
  • Compost - decomposed biomaterials from many sources generally used in farming and gardening
  • Bio-controls - biochemicals and living organisms used to control other living organisms
  • Bioremediation - using plants and micro-organisms to clean up contaminated soil and water
  • BioProduct foods or functional foods - whole foods and fortified, enriched, or enhanced foods such as fresh blueberries or dried fruit bars that improve health.
  • Health BioProducts (e.g. nutraceuticals) - compounds or groups of compounds extracted from biological sources used to improve health or to treat illness.

For more detailed definitions of functional foods and nutraceuticals, please check the FAQs of the Food, Beverage, & Nutraceuticals community on InfoBasket.

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Q. What is bio-economy or bio-based economy?

A. According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a bio-economy is an economy based on biological processes and renewable bioresources to produce improved health and sustainable growth and development.

A bio-based economy is one that uses renewable bioresources, efficient bioprocesses and eco-industrial clusters to produce sustainable bioproducts, jobs and income. The key idea is an economy based on the use of renewable bioproducts that reduce the population's dependency on fossil fuels and their derivatives for energy, materials, chemicals and many other products.

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Q. How do bioproducts relate to biotechnology?

A. The conversion of bioresources into bioproducts depends on a variety of processes. Many of the new conversion processes are the result of advances in biotechnology. Biotechnology is defined as the broad application of organisms, cells, or processes to produce goods or services. Biotechnology includes processes such as fermentation used to produce wine or beer, insects used as biocontrols to control other insects, plants to absorb pollutants from soil before they reach streams and lakes, and the culture of plants or cessl in a factory setting. It also includes the development of organisms with novel traits using traditional or new methods for the production of useful materials and biocatalysts (enzymes).

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Q. What bioproducts can be produced from the common excess crops or wastes here in B.C.?

A. The bioresources or raw material used to make bioproducts are called feedstocks. Here is a partial list of bioproducts that can be produced from some common B.C. feedstocks.

Feedstock Bioproduct
  • Straw, hay and other cellulosic fibre waste/residue left over from crop harvest/processing. Research is underway to improve fibres from hemp and flax for bioproduct production.
  • Ethanol (cellulose is broken down to sugars and used in fermentation)
  • Bio-oil (via pyrolosis)
  • Paper
  • Construction materials such as particle board and hemp cement
  • Fabrics
  • Bioenergy (direct or pellet burning)
  • Waste cooking grease
  • Sewage grease (from grease traps)
  • Oils rendered from fish and meat processing plant wastes
  • Seed Oils (see below)
  • Biodiesel
  • Glycerin (a by products of the production of biodiesel from waste oils)
  • Manure
  • Sewage
  • Landfill and other organic wastes
  • Biogas (methane in gas or liquid form). Natural gas is primarily methane.
  • Fruit skins - berries and tree fruits
  • Press cakes - from making juice
  • Pomace - from making apple juice
  • Nutraceuticals
  • Food components
  • Functional foods
  • Seeds from processed fruit and berries
  • Oil seeds (canola, mustard, etc.)
  • Nuts
  • Oils and other ingredients for:
  • Nutraceuticals
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Food components
  • Cosmetic products, soaps
  • Lubricants
  • Biodiesel
  • Inks, paints, resins
  • Grains
  • Corn
  • Wheat
  • Barley
  • Other starchy grains
  • Potatoes
  • Sugar beets
  • Starch
  • Solvents
  • Pharmacuticals
  • Adhesives, resins, polymers
  • Ethanol
  • Sweeteners
  • Citric and lactic acid
  • Starch
  • Biodegradable plastics that can be made into a wide range of products from fabrics to car parts.
  • Ethanol
  • Sawdust
  • Wood shavings
  • Other wood waste
  • Ethanol(cellulose is broken down to sugars and used in fermentation)
  • Bio-oil (via pyrolysis)
  • Wood pellets/chips
  • Paper
  • Construction materials e.g. fibre board
  • Bioenergy (direct burning)
  • Cellulose for fibres
  • Polymers, adhesives, paints

    • All of the solid, liquid and gas biofuels can be used to produce bioenergy.

    The amount of feedstock needed depends on the particular type of bioproduct manufactured from this feedstock. Bioproducts range from low-value/high-volume products, such as bioenergy from burning wood waste or straw, to high-value/low-volume products, such as plant-based nutraceuticals and other natural health products.

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    Q. What is a biorefinery?

    A. Biorefinery is analogous to an oil refinery: however, instead of fossil fuels, it itegrates a biomass conversion processes to produce many bioproducts. An example is the forest biorefinery in which woody biomass can yield not only cellulose pulp for paper, but also bioethanol from hemicelluloses, syngases from black liquor, and a variety of biochemicals, e.g. cellulose esters and ethers, used as componenets of plastics, finishes, films, textiles, and pharmaceuticals and food.

    A biorefinery can have a cyclic relationship of porcesses that porduce multiple intermediate bioproducts from a particular type of feedstock. Intermediate co-products may drive the process of prodution of another bioproduct containing a derivative that my drive another process. For example, biorefineries may involve the production of biofuel that creates energy to run a process results in a specific bioproduct and several co-products. The bioproduct may be sold separatelywhile a co-product such as heat may maintain the temperature needed to compost the other co-products to produce a fetilizer that can be sold as well. The outcome is a cycle of systems that is efficient and productive.

    More info: http://www.nrel.gov/biomass/biorefinery.html

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    Q. How do I start a business for entry into the bioproducts sector? How do I market my business?

    A. In general a bioproduct business is started in the same way as business in other sectors. The primary difference is that many bioproduct businesses are using feedstocks, processes or producing products that are new (novel). This means that there many be additional regulatory and institutional hurdles that need to be dealt with. An example is regulatory issues around the use of new types of building materials, fabrics and fuels. The BC BioProducts Association was organized to develop a bioproduct friendly business environment in B.C. If you are considering starting a bioproduct business, you should join this organization.

    There is a large amount of information on all aspects of starting a business in the Business Management & Finance section of InfoBasket in the BioProducts community. One of the most informative web sites is run by a non-profit society called Small Business BC; the Website has a wealth of information on how to start a small business in British Columbia. Under the "Business Stage" tab, you can find information on the steps involved in getting started, from idea to established business. There are also small business guides available under the "Guides & Websites" tab. The research library under the "Business Resources" tab offers a search engine for locating all sorts of information including marketing information.

    Small Business BC: http://www.smallbusinessbc.ca/index.php

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    Q. What funding/financial programs are available for bioproducts research, development, and commercialization? Is there government support?

    A. There are a variety of programs available depending on the nature of the project. There are broad industry support programs. For example, the National Research Council supports a variety of research projects through the Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/. The BC Ministry of Economic Development runs a venture capital program to encourage investment in B.C. businesses by providing a 30 percent refundable tax credit. http://www.cse.gov.bc.ca/ProgramsAndServices/BusinessServices/Investment_Capital/Venture_Capital_Programs/default.htm

    There are also special programs for certain types of bioproducts projects. For example, Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) offers the Agricultural Value-Added Loan Program in cooperation with Farm Credit Canada (FCC) to provide financing for small companies and farmers http://www.wd.gc.ca/finance/programs/xavaf_e.asp

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    Q. What are the regulations relating to bioproduct production, marketing, and logistics in BC?

    A. Regulations vary amoung bioproducts since there is such a diverse and large number of different bioproducts and each category of bioproducts uses different technologies, processing, feedstocks, and has different applications. For example, production and labelling of a nutraceutical product for pets (e.g. glucosamine for joint inflammation) is regulated differently than a similar product for human use. Production and use of a biofuel will be affected by local, provincial and federal regulations dealing with manufacturing and transport; land, air and water quality.

    SOURCES - BIOPRODUCT REGULATIONS

    BIOFUELS
    Manure
    More information:

  • Manure Storage and Use
    http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/resmgmt/fppa/refguide/activity/870218-44_Manure_Storage.pdf
  • Manure Management Regulations and Guidelines for British Columbia
    http://www.caar.org/files/Manure%20Management%20Information%20for%20British%20Columbia.pdf
  • Appendix C: Provincial Legislation
    http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/resmgmt/fppa/refguide/other/870218-67_Appendix_C_Prov_Legislation.pdf http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/F/96131_01.htm

    • Woodwaste
    More information:

  • Woodwaste Use in Agriculture - Precautions
    http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/resmgmt/publist/600series/655000-1.pdf
  • Woodwaste Use - Precautions to Horse Owners
    http://www.horsecouncilbcsite.com/woodwasteandhorses.doc

    • Retail products containing micro-organisms, biochemicals (such as enzymes) or biopolymers, are "biotechnology products" and may be subject to the New Substances Notification (NSN) Regulations, pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA, 1999).
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/download/a0008.pdf

    BIOCHEMICALS & BIOLUBRICANTS

    Retail products containing micro-organisms, biochemicals (such as enzymes) or biopolymers, are "biotechnology products" and may be subject to the New Substances Notification (NSN) Regulations, pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA, 1999).
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/download/a0008.pdf

  • New Substances Notification (NSN) Regulations
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/CEPARegistry/Regulations/DetailReg.cfm?intReg=13
  • Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA)
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/CEPARegistry/the_act/
    http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/C-15.31/index.html
  • Reporting for the Domestic Substances List
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/cpdsl/eng/cpdslguide_e.htm
  • Importing and/or Manufacturing New Substances
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/html/envind_e.htm
  • Guidelines for the Notification and Testing of new Substances: Chemicals and Polymers
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/cpguide/eng/cpguide_e.htm
  • NSN Form for Chemicals, Polymers, Biochemicals, and Biopolymers
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/eng/NSNW_e.htm

    • BIOCATALYSTS

    Retail products containing micro-organisms, biochemicals (such as enzymes) or biopolymers, are "biotechnology products" and may be subject to the New Substances Notification (NSN) Regulations, pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA, 1999).
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/download/a0008.pdf

  • New Substances Notification (NSN) Regulations
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/CEPARegistry/Regulations/DetailReg.cfm?intReg=13
  • Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA)
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/CEPARegistry/the_act/
  • Reporting for the Domestic Substances List
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/cpdsl/eng/cpdslguide_e.htm
  • Importing and/or Manufacturing New Substances
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/html/envind_e.htm
  • NSN Form for Chemicals, Polymers, Biochemicals, and Biopolymers
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/eng/NSNW_e.htm
  • Regulation of Plant Biotechnology
    http://bioregulations.gc.ca/english/BioRegLinks.asp?x=1&bioreg=1&formAction=ViewBioRegTabs&SubTopicld=88&stf=1

    • BIOMATERIALS

    Retail products containing micro-organisms, biochemicals (such as enzymes) or biopolymers, are "biotechnology products" and may be subject to the New Substances Notification (NSN) Regulations, pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA, 1999).
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/download/a0008.pdf

  • New Substances Notification (NSN) Regulations
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/CEPARegistry/Regulations/DetailReg.cfm?intReg=13
  • Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA)
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/CEPARegistry/the_act/
  • Reporting for the Domestic Substances List
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/cpdsl/eng/cpdslguide_e.htm
  • Importing and/or Manufacturing New Substances
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/html/envind_e.htm
  • Guidelines for the Notification and Testing of New Substances: Chemicals and Polymers
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/cpguide/eng/cpguide_e.htm
  • NSN Form for Chemicals, Polymers, Biochemicals, and Biopolymers
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/eng/NSNW_e.htm
  • Regulation of Plant Biotechnology
    http://bioregulations.gc.ca/english/BioRegLinks.asp?x=1&bioreg=1&formAction=ViewBioRegTabs&SubTopicld=88&stf=1

    • Industrial Hemp
    More information

  • Health Canada - Commercial Production of Industrial Hemp
    • http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hc-ps/substancontrol/hemp-chanvre/index-eng.php
  • Canadian Food Inspection Agency - Plant Protection Import Requirements for Hemp, Cannabis sativa http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/protect/dir/d-96-03e.shtml

    • COMPOST
    Within B.C., agricultural composting is regulated by the Waste Management Act and the Agricultural Land Commission Act.

  • Composting Factsheet - Regulations Affecting Composting
    http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/resmgmt/publist/300Series/382500-12.pdf
  • Waste Management Act
    http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/W/96482_01.htm
  • Agricultural Land Commission Act
    http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/A/02036_01.htm
  • Regulation of Biofertilizers
    http://bioregulations.gc.ca/english/BioRegLinks.asp?x=1&bioreg=1&formAction=ViewBioRegTabs&SubTopicId=75&stf=1

    • BIOCONTROLS

  • Regulations of pest control products
    http://bioregulations.gc.ca/english/BioRegLinks.asp?x=1&bioreg=1&formAction=ViewBioRegTabs&SubTopicId=79&stf=1

    • FOOD BIOPRODUCTS

  • Regulations of food biotechnology
    http://bioregulations.gc.ca/english/BioRegLinks.asp?x=1&bioreg=1&formAction=ViewBioRegTabs&SubTopicId=75&stf=1

    • HEALTH BIOPRODUCTS

    Retail products containing micro-organisms, biochemicals (such as enzymes) or biopolymers, are "biotechnology products" and may be subject to the New Substances Notification (NSN) Regulations, pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA, 1999).
    http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/nsb/download/a0008.pdf

    Retail Products marketed as natural health products (e.g. nutraceuticals) are regulated by Health Canada under the Natural Health Products Regulations, which came into effect on January 1, 2004.

  • Natural Health Product Regulations
    http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpfb-dgpsa/nhpd-dpsn/index_e.html
  • Regulation of Cosmetics
    http://bioregulations.gc.ca/english/BioRegLinks.asp?x=1&bioreg=1&formAction=ViewBioRegTabs&SubTopicId=76&stf=2
  • Regulation of Clinical Trials
    http://bioregulations.gc.ca/english/BioRegLinks.asp?x=1&bioreg=1&formAction=ViewBioRegTabs&SubTopicId=105&stf=2
  • Regulation of Drugs and Biologics
    http://bioregulations.gc.ca/english/BioRegLinks.asp?x=1&bioreg=1&formAction=ViewBioRegTabs&SubTopicId=73&stf=2
  • Regulation of Field Trials
    http://bioregulations.gc.ca/english/BioRegLinks.asp?x=1&bioreg=1&formAction=ViewBioRegTabs&SubTopicId=109&stf=2

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    Q. What are the challenges and opportunities facing the B.C. BioProducts sector?

    A.

    Challenges Opportunities
  • Lack of awareness for bioproducts and the benefits of shifting to a bioeconomy.
  • Lack of industry cohesiveness.
  • Businesses, researchers, and organizations are disconnected.
  • Fear and misconceptions about biotechnology.
  • Apparent conflict between the use of farmland for industrial purposes rather than for food production.
  • Large biomass resources in forest and marine environments, agriculture and urban wastestreams.
  • Educated populace with interest in environmental protection and healthy living.
  • Large biotechnology hub
  • Leading edge research and development in science and technology.
  • Farm wastes that either cost money to dispose of, or caused pollution, are becoming valuable feedstocks.

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    Q. What does membership to the BC BioProducts Association (BCBPA) provide?

    A. The BCBPA was formed in the fall of 2004 and currently has about 150 members involved in all areas of the bioproduct sector (community). The following statements are directly from the association web site (http://www.bcbioproducts.ca).

    Mission

    To provide a unified voice and leadership fostering an environment that responds to the needs of the BC Bioproducts Community and accelerates the growth of the bio-based economy.

    Purpose

    The purpose of the British Columbia BioProducts Association is to support its members in the following ways:

    1. Through leadership, we will assist in creating a positive environment for success stories: bioproduct-oriented businesses that add employment and income to British Columbia, showcase our province as a high-tech, forward-moving economy, take advantage of synergies with other organizations to create effective biorefineries, and attract further investment and development in the bioproducts sector.

    2. Through advocacy, we will foster an environment that is positive for our membership: it will be attractive to new members and to the investment community, supportive of commercialization and development activities, and populated with knowledgeable public and private sector partners.

    3. Through representation, we will raise the profile of the members of the BCBPA: this will be achieved by connecting members to activities at the provincial, national, and international level, through a bioproducts innovation, research and development network among businesses, communities, non-government.

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