Genetically Modified Organisms for Bulk Chemical Production

1. Genetically Modified Organisms for Bulk Chemical Production Leo van Overbeek

2. Outline presentation • Introduction • Risk evaluations • ‘White’ and ‘Green’ biotechnology for bulk chemical production • Bulk chemical production in the future • Conclusions

3. Background • Research at Plant Research International, Wageningen • Construction of genetically modified plants: disease suppression, qualitative aspects, optimization (marker-free GM plants) • GMO acceptance (reports, discussions) • Soil biology (GMO impact analysis)

4. Introduction • Bulk chemical production • E.g. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) • Production by making use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) • Optimal yield • Chemical modification • ‘White’ Biotechnology (contained use) and ‘Green’ Biotechnology (GM plants in open fields)

5. Goal Overview of prospects and limitations in the application of GMOs for bulk chemical production • Emphasis on • ‘White’ Biotechnology • Effects on nature and food chains • Knowledge gaps for future (large quantity) production

6. Risk evaluation and public perception • Release of GMO will always occur • What are the events after GMO release In order of severity: • Effect (neutral) • Hazard (negative consequence) • Risk (impact) • Risk assessment: • Risk = chance of hazard x exposure (volume/ time) • Public perception on modern biotechnology (occasionally no rational arguments used in discussions)

7. Non-rational arguments • Field experiment with a GM potato line • Aimed to establish possible effects on the indigenous soil and plant-associated microflora • Field destroyed by activists

8. From literature • Field release studies with GM bacteria and plants • GM plants and micro-organisms are constructed to demonstrate an effect (worst case) • No effects observed • Or only transient effects observed No obvious hazards could be find in literature!

9. Use of GMOs for bulk chemical production • Effect on food chains • PHA is non-toxic and non-allergenic • Effects on natural environments • PHA is biodegradable No impact on consumption goods and natural environments expected!

10. GMO effect after release

11. Limitations to evaluate consequences of GMO releases • Analytical tools • Technical limitations for detection • Environmental impact • Where to compare with? • Natural fluctuations are large and not always understood • Ecology • Not all organisms are described (soil) • Not all interactions are clear

12. ‘White’ Biotechnology • Contained use of micro-organisms (or biotechnological derivatives) for production of e.g. enzymes and bulk chemicals • Use of renewable raw materials and advanced enzyme systems, replacing fossil raw materials • bio-energy • biomaterials • bulk chemicals • Direct: e.g. bulk chemicals like PHA • Indirect: production of enzymes required for bulk chemical production • Realistic for industry

13. PHA production in closed systems

14. Recommendations for ‘white’ biotechnology • Microbial host • Suitable for optimization (growth properties, nutrient requirements) • Containment (loss of viability after release) • Recombinant gene • Possibilities for modification of the product • Control on gene regulation • Containment genes (killing of host after accidental release) • Waste • Other applications • Eradication of living GMOs in waste products

15. ‘Green’ Biotechnology • Genetically modified plants in fields • Open production facilities • Possibility of free exchange of GM materials with the environment and food chains • Coexistence between agricultural systems (controversy organic – conventional farming) • Lower emphasis for industry

16. PHA production by plants

17. Requirements for ‘Green’ biotechnology • Plant host • Choice of best performing crops for bulk chemical production • Preference for non-food crops • Recombinant gene • Marker-free constructs • Restrictions on sexual exchange of rec DNA (e.g. plastid transformation) • Logistics to keep GMO seeds separated from non-GMO seeds

18. Seed logistics White Biotechnology (contained use of GM micro- Organisms) Green Biotechnology (Growth of GM plants in open fields) Crop wastes (GMO still viable) waste Other applications (viability of GMO) Waste after processing (nonviable GMO material)

19. Bulk chemical production • Application of GM microbes for bulk chemical production under contained conditions is realistic • Safe production • Containment guaranteed • Applications of GM plants in open fields is uncertain and thus less realistic • Containment in open fields is difficult to maintain • Post harvest measures are required (transport, storage, raw material treatments)

20. Prospects • ‘White’ biotechnology will become important for bulk chemical production • Production with GM micro-organisms in closed reactors will largely increase • Risk assessment must be adapted for larger-scale production facilities • Processing of fermentation waste products will become important

21. Expected scale enlargement White Biotechnology Environmental-friendly production Adaptations: Production facilities Biological containment Wastes time

22. Consequences Increased biotechnological production means: • Less chemicals and energy required • Less toxic wastes produced • More emphasis on containment • Infrastructure (input raw materials, processing) • Biological containment (facilities and constructs) • Increased organic waste from reactors • Concern for living GMOs in products made out of waste

23. Solutions • Technical improvement of production facilities, circumstances and GMO constructs • Alternative use of waste from fermentation reactors • Agricultural use; e.g. by composting and heat inactivation or recycling of waste compounds

24. Conclusions • Only temporal effects have been observed in small-scale GMO release studies • GM constructs for bulk chemical production must be qualified as ‘low in risk’ • No effect can be expected with the application of GM microbes for bulk chemical production in ‘white’ biotechnology • Uncertainties exist with increased scale and long-term production with GM plants • Waste products from fermentation reactors must be processed and free of living GMOs

25. Knowledge gaps • Present analytical tools may be too limited to detect effects by increased-scale and long-term production; special emphasis on GM plant production • Ecological baseline knowledge to discriminate GMO from non-GMO effects • Relevant information on ecological interactions between species (e.g. what can be the effect of elevated levels of PHA on different populations)