Preface
Bioeconomy, an intersection between biological resources and economic activities,
underpins a pathway to tackle global challenges and to achieve sustainable development goals. Bioeconomy involves the production and sustainable use of biological
resources to further the growth of the sustainable economy through the generation of
information, knowledge, bioproducts, ecosystem services and innovative processes.
Biological resources are the bedrock of bioeconomy. It includes materials of
biological origin, which have a potential role to play in the sustenance of the earth
system. While traditionally bioeconomy strategies aimed at upscaling the production
of biofuels and bioenergy and finding an alternative to fossil fuel-based energy
source, recent developments in the field of biotechnology, synthetic biology and
metabolic engineering have widened the scope of bioeconomy. Of late, waste
valorization, production of biochemicals, phytochemicals, biopesticides, flavour
compounds, etc. and transformation of bio-based materials including the building
blocks and polymers into value-added products are an integral part of sustainable
bioeconomy. In effect, the biological resources as a feedstock to biotechnological
and microbiological processes generate a wide variety of ecosystem services and
drive bioeconomy. Further, sustainability in bioeconomy is achieved through the
application of principles of circularity. In essence, the sustainable bioeconomy is a
paradigm shift from a fossil-fuel-based economy to a biological-based economy,
which is driven by the virtues of sustainability, efficient utilization of resources and
“circular economy” as well. As the sustainable bioeconomy hinges on the efficient
utilization of biological resources and societal transformations, they exhibit the
immense potential to achieve sustainable development goals. Sustainable
bioeconomy has immense potential to achieve food and nutritional security (SDG
2), to promote human well-being (SDG 3), to ensure access to water (SDG 6), to
ensure access to affordable and sustainable energy (SDG 7), to ensure sustainable
living habitat (SDG 11), to ensure sustainable production and consumption (SDG
12) and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (SDG 13). The book earnestly explores
the facets of sustainable bioeconomy. The chapters focus on areas including but not
limited to economics of the circular bioeconomy, social and economic contribution
of the bioeconomic sector, production of bio-based products like biofuels,
biochemicals and flavour and fragrance compounds, the sustainability of agricultural
production system, use of biological resources like phytochemicals and
v
Bioeconomy, an intersection between biological resources and economic activities,
underpins a pathway to tackle global challenges and to achieve sustainable development goals. Bioeconomy involves the production and sustainable use of biological
resources to further the growth of the sustainable economy through the generation of
information, knowledge, bioproducts, ecosystem services and innovative processes.
Biological resources are the bedrock of bioeconomy. It includes materials of
biological origin, which have a potential role to play in the sustenance of the earth
system. While traditionally bioeconomy strategies aimed at upscaling the production
of biofuels and bioenergy and finding an alternative to fossil fuel-based energy
source, recent developments in the field of biotechnology, synthetic biology and
metabolic engineering have widened the scope of bioeconomy. Of late, waste
valorization, production of biochemicals, phytochemicals, biopesticides, flavour
compounds, etc. and transformation of bio-based materials including the building
blocks and polymers into value-added products are an integral part of sustainable
bioeconomy. In effect, the biological resources as a feedstock to biotechnological
and microbiological processes generate a wide variety of ecosystem services and
drive bioeconomy. Further, sustainability in bioeconomy is achieved through the
application of principles of circularity. In essence, the sustainable bioeconomy is a
paradigm shift from a fossil-fuel-based economy to a biological-based economy,
which is driven by the virtues of sustainability, efficient utilization of resources and
“circular economy” as well. As the sustainable bioeconomy hinges on the efficient
utilization of biological resources and societal transformations, they exhibit the
immense potential to achieve sustainable development goals. Sustainable
bioeconomy has immense potential to achieve food and nutritional security (SDG
2), to promote human well-being (SDG 3), to ensure access to water (SDG 6), to
ensure access to affordable and sustainable energy (SDG 7), to ensure sustainable
living habitat (SDG 11), to ensure sustainable production and consumption (SDG
12) and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (SDG 13). The book earnestly explores
the facets of sustainable bioeconomy. The chapters focus on areas including but not
limited to economics of the circular bioeconomy, social and economic contribution
of the bioeconomic sector, production of bio-based products like biofuels,
biochemicals and flavour and fragrance compounds, the sustainability of agricultural
production system, use of biological resources like phytochemicals and
v