Institute of Technical Microbiology, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Kasernenstr. 12, D-21073 Hamburg, Germany.
N Biotechnol. 2018 Jan 25;40(Pt A):144-153. doi: 10.1016/j.nbt.2017.05.002. Epub 2017 May 13.
The transition of the oil-based economy towards a sustainable economy completely relying on biomass as renewable feedstock requires the concerted action of academia, industry, politics and civil society. An interdisciplinary approach of various fields such as microbiology, molecular biology, chemistry, genetics, chemical engineering and agriculture in addition to cross-sectional technologies such as economy, logistics and digitalization is necessary to meet the future global challenges. The genomic era has contributed significantly to the exploitation of naturés biodiversity also from extreme habitats. By applying modern technologies it is now feasible to deliver robust enzymes (extremozymes) and robust microbial systems that are active at temperatures up to 120°C, at pH 0 and 12 and at 1000bar. In the post-genomic era, different sophisticated "omics" analyses will allow the identification of countless novel enzymes regardless of the lack of cultivability of most microorganisms. Furthermore, elaborate protein-engineering methods are clearing the way towards tailor-made robust biocatalysts. Applying environmentally friendly and efficient biological processes, terrestrial and marine biomass can be converted to high value products e.g. chemicals, building blocks, biomaterials, pharmaceuticals, food, feed and biofuels. Thus, further application of extremophiles has the potential to improve sustainability of existing biotechnological processes towards a greener biobased industry.
从以石油为基础的经济向完全依赖生物质作为可再生原料的可持续经济的转变，需要学术界、工业界、政界和民间社会的共同行动。除了经济、物流和数字化等跨领域技术外，还需要微生物学、分子生物学、化学、遗传学、化学工程和农业等各个领域的跨学科方法，以应对未来的全球挑战。基因组时代极大地促进了对自然生物多样性的开发，包括来自极端生境的生物多样性。通过应用现代技术，现在可以提供在高达 120°C 的温度、pH 值为 0 和 12 以及 1000bar 的条件下仍然保持活性的强大酶（极端酶）和强大的微生物系统。在后基因组时代，不同复杂的“组学”分析将允许识别无数新的酶，而无需考虑大多数微生物的可培养性。此外，精细的蛋白质工程方法正在为定制的强大生物催化剂铺平道路。通过应用环保且高效的生物过程，可以将陆地和海洋生物质转化为高价值产品，例如化学品、建筑模块、生物材料、药物、食品、饲料和生物燃料。因此，进一步应用极端微生物有潜力提高现有生物技术过程的可持续性，使其朝着更环保的生物基产业发展。
