ASTM launches industrial biotechnology committee.

Stakeholders in the field of industrial biotechnology, including representatives of the medical and pharmaceutical industries, the agricultural realm and other industries have joined together to form a new ASTM International technical committee. Following an organizational meeting on April 14, Committee E62 on Industrial Biotechnology was approved by the ASTM board of directors in June 2014.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization defines industrial biotechnology as technology based on biology biotechnology harnesses cellular and biomolecular processes to develop technologies and products that help improve our lives and the health of our planet.

Planning for Committee E62 began after a series of meetings between ASTM and the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates in early 2013. Larry Sloan, president and CEO of SOCMA, believes that standards to be developed by E62 will play an important role in establishing a more consistent foundation on which to base industry-related incentives and regulations.

Without industrial biotechnology standards, we cannot have good policy and without good policy, we cannot have investment, says Sloan. And without investment, the U.S. cannot remain the global innovation leader that it is.

Through its subcommittees, E62 will develop test methods, practices and terminology standards focusing on many aspects of industrial biotechnology. Potential topics for E62 standards include, but are not limited to, feedstock biomass, determination of green content, life cycle analysis and drop-in chemical specifications.

Industrial biotechnology represents a move away from industrys reliance on non-renewable resources, turning instead to the use of sustainable biomass as a resource. Rather than using fossil fuels and minerals, industrial biotechnology uses biomass from crops and waste products. Municipal, farm and forestry waste products in addition to specialized crops are the inputs in the production of everything from plastics to fuel.

Along with this shift in raw materials, biotechnology utilizes biological processes rather than solely chemical ones in the manufacturing and energy sectors. By relying on sustainable resources, industrial biotechnology reduces greenhouse gas emissions and lessens the negative impact of manufacturing on the environment.

The benefits of industrial biotechnology include more efficient, less environmentally harmful products. Three specific areas are currently the central focus of industrial biotechnology efforts: Medical and pharmaceutical applications Industrial uses and Agricultural applications.

Representatives of various disciplines, including consumers, manufacturers, suppliers, software developers, trade and professional society and federal agencies participated in the April organizational meeting.

In addition, because biotechnology has spread into so many different realms, E62 will coordinate its activities with several ASTM committees, including: D02 on Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels and Lubricants E55 on Manufacture of Pharmaceutical Products E56 on Nanotechnology and F04 on Medical and Surgical Materials and Devices.

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ASTM launches industrial biotechnology committee.