World Journal

of Microbiology

8 Biotechnology

12, 445-450

Joint venture capital investment technologies and their problems developing countries

for clean in

H.W. Doelle All technological developments are aimed at improving the quality of life of a community of people. Biotechnology is a technology which allows the exploitation of microorganisms, plants and animal cells to take place within an economic framework. Developing countries are looking for programmes achieving sustainable, economical growth conducive to a higher per capita income of the community. Any joint venture which promises social advances and economic benefits will have to be rural-based. This presentation discusses the need for a change in fermentation industry attitudes to allow joint venture capital investment in clean technologies together with the problems developing countries face for the implementation of such technologies. Key words: Clean technology,

developing

countries.

Technological development is aimed at improving the quality of life of a community of people. It may lead to longer life expectancy and higher survival rates through better health conditions (DaSilva et al. 1992). Ever increasing urbanization, air and waterway pollution, deforestation and other ecological destructions through wastes from existing industries call for drastic action by respective governments and force an industrial re-thinking of the existing business investment industries. It is very unfortunate that the developed countries have carried out many technology transfers of enormous waste producing processes into developing countries often causing insurmountable problems to the life and ecology of these countries.

Clean Technology

Approach

Biotechnology is a technology which allows the exploitation of microorganisms, plants and animal cells to take place within an economic framework. Whereas developed countries formulate biotechnological programmes towards industrial, business and economical advances (Doelle 1989), developing countries are looking for a programme achiev-

ing sustainable economic growth conducive to a higher per capita income of the community, in particular the farming community. It is very hard to comprehend why developed countries do not accept the different approach and continue to transfer or sell waste producing process technology to developing countries. The application of plant and microbial biotechnology can make a significant immediate contribution to the sociocultural, economic and technological aspects in the advancement of the developing countries (DaSilva 1981; Doelle 1982). These countries have been, and in some cases still are, the dumping ground of waste producing technologies, a good reason for being more open towards environmentally cleaner technologies. New clean technologies could be developed in the fields of energy, animal feed, food production, aquaculture, production of biofuel, chemical feedstock, microbial protein, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and bioinsectitides as well as biofertilisers. Furthermore, wastes from existing agricultural industries could be reused, changing the industry from a mono- to a multiproduct industry ensuring a clean ecological environment (Doelle et al. 1987;1994).

Venture The author is with MIRCEN-Biotechnology Brisbane and the Pacific Regional Network, Department of Microbiology, University of Queensland, St. Lucia 4072, Australia; fax: +617-38763230.

@ 1996 Rapid Science

Publishers

Capital

Investment

There is no doubt that any joint venture social advances and economic benefits

with promises of will have to be

H. W. Doelle rural-based in most of the developing countries. Small farmers account for 19% of the cultivated holdings and 12% of the cultivated area in South-east Asia with large farms making up the rest, thus 31% are under cultivation (Doelle & Gumbira-Sa’id 1992). It is therefore important that frequent communication occurs among the farming community, the Government representatives and biotechnologists to discuss and establish joint ventures with all three and convince industry and entrepreneurs to join in the venture towards social advance and national economic benefits. It has to be the aim of these bodies, in particular the biotechnologist, to convince society that the new technologies are not a threat to families or societies, but can bring enormous social and economic advances for the individual as well as the country. In order to investigate rural technology in a particular country, national authorities have to set their priorities in regard to social, economic and ecological development. Such an authority (e.g. Board of Development; Figure 1) should consist of farmers, farmer cooperatives, researchers, the appropriate government agencies and financiers (bankers, industries, entrepreneurs etc.). In co-opting consultants in biotechnology, a national programme should be established. This communication link between farmers, government and researchers is vital for any success in the establishment of rural industries. Major consideration should be given to the raw material available, and the local market demand, e.g. feed, food, fertilizer, bioinsecticides, fuel and energy. The main focus should be the use of clean technologies, that is reusage of any ‘waste’ from one process becoming the substrate of a second product in order to preserve the environment and prevent disease development. In order to become self-sufficient, which means supply and demand for domestic consumption is guaranteed, each Government must strive and direct all its efforts towards increasing production and maintaining or reducing its demand by diversification of the staple food. First steps towards such a goal were taken by plant geneticists directing their work towards higher disease resistance and higher yields in crops, which should eventually eliminate, or at least reduce, the use of chemical pesticides in the agricultural area. The second step under intensive research concerns the use of biodegradable pesticides such as the crystal proteins from BucilLs fhttringiensis or other antagonistic microorganisms. Increased monoculture with a single outlet therefore will continue to cause problems to farmers. Price fluctuations and product quality owing to changes in weather patterns together with greater use of available land will cause severe economic problems to the farming communities. In order to foster de-urbanization, the farmer has to be offered attractive alternatives, which means security through a change from a mono- to a multiple-product agricultural industry. The availability of these renewable resources therefore

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World ]ormal of Microbiology 6 tJiotechno/ogy. Vol 12. 1996

depends not only on the geographical location, but also on the close cooperation of a particular farmer and community. New clean fermentation technologies based on renewable resources are very closely connected to the community, which demands that the type of fermentation technology to be introduced must be acceptable to them, not only to the business or Government Agency. The individual farmer wants to know the expected return and he wants to be part of the new development. Such a social evaluation turns the bioresource development into a socio-economic bioresource development with multiple goals in place of one single goal. Proper bioresource development therefore can only succeed if it is actively integrated into the culture (Doelle ef al. 1987) and the needs of the particular region. All of these considerations have to be taken into account by the Board of Development, which would give its final proposals to the Centre of Development. This Centre should be a Biotechnology Research Centre devoted entirely to the development of rural biotechnology. Since every joint microbial biotechnological capital venture investment system depends on the availability of raw materials, as was outlined above, including not only agricultural products but also agricultural, human and animal wastes, this Centre may well be confronted additionally with tasks of improving farm practices, soil denitrification, rhizobacterial plant growth promotion, plant disease resistance breeding, and future planning and development of arable agriculture. Such new developments must always take care that it does not affect local traditional culture, although it should and can improve the conditions of the society within its traditional culture. Each developing nation should have one such Centre, which not only has a close link to the nearby MIRCENNetworks Centres, but is also responsible for the development of an appropriate biotechnological system using, if possible, established technologies as a whole or in part for adaptation to local conditions. Such a Centre should attract overseas finance through aid programmes in addition to the input from the national Government, local Governments and financiers. One of the major goals should be an Exchange Programme, whereby local researchers are sent to specific laboratories and vice versa to learn techniques vital for the rural process development. Any system developed in the proposed Centre of Development, whether it is a simple or integrated rural technology system, must go through pilot-scale and field trials. It is the trial outside protective laboratory conditions that has to withstand rigorous social, economical and ecological evaluation. No process should be acceptable that produces a product or products, but simultaneously causes severe pollution of air, soil or waterways. These field trials must be able to exhibit to the farmer and the national and local Governments the social, economical and ecological benefits to the farmer, the region and the nation as a whole. .

]oint venture capital investment

COOPERATIVES

FARMER

RESEARCHER

GOVERNMENT

/

BOARD CONSULTANT

+

-

FINANCE

DEVELOPMENT

MZRCEN-INPUT

-l

INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

4 / /

&

EXCHANGE

CENTRE FOR DEVELOPMENT I

PZLOT SCALE AND FZELD TRZAL

-

4 OVERSEAS

w

FINANCE

ANDAID

SOCIAL, /

ECONOMICAL

ECOLOGICAL EVALUATION

MICROBIAL-BIOTECHNOLOGY PROCESS UNIT(S)

SMALL-SCALE INDUSTRY

WASTE

PRODUCTS I

SERVICE

VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS

CENTRE

MARKETS Figure

1. Scheme

for joint

microbial

biotechnology

ventures

(Doelle

& Gumbira-Sa’id

1992).

World Joumd

of

Microbiology & Biotecknology, Vol 1.2, 1996

447

H. W. Doelle The successful field trials make the process available to the farming community. Depending upon the quantity of raw material available and the local market demand, the Biotechnology Process Unit has to be tailored to these requirements. It is certain that different locations may require different capacity sizes.

Clean Technologies Any fermentation technology developed from bioresources, which fully exploits the substrates with the result of multiple products and no pollution effluent on the ground, in the water or air falls into the category of integrated technologies (Doelle 1982;1994). It is the cross-subsidization of product marketing which determines profitability. Such a technology could involve all or part of: (i) submerged processing of soluble substrates; (ii) submerged processes of dispersed insoluble substrates; (iii) solid phase reactions of insoluble substrates; (iv) single species of microorganisms; (v) multiple species of microorganisms (mixed populations); (vi) thermophilic, mesophilic conditions; (vii) aerobic, anaerobic, semi-anaerobic conditions; (viii) photosynthetic or chemosynthetic energy production processes. Let me therefore propose to you a model for future microbial process systems as a clean environmental technology (Figure 2). Bioresource utilization programmes are the best systems to combat malnutrition and starvation and, if coupled with waste utilization and treatment could lead to high public health standards. Whereas in developed countries the high value-added products, especially those for use in the medical fields, may dominate the aspirations of biotechnologists in order to maintain the present living standard, it is often the basic needs of the society, without interference in the traditional culture, which will dominate in the developing countries. There is also no doubt that the impact of new fermentation or microbial process technologies (Doelle 1993) will be different in urban and in rural communities, since cultural heritage is much more vulnerable in urban areas.

Problems in Capital Technologies

Investment

for Clean

The biggest problem for joint venture capital investment in clean technologies in developing countries is not so much the lack of entrepreneurs or Government initiatives, but rather the severe lack of trained scientists capable of converting scientific knowledge into a clean technology process (Doelle 1991a,b). As was outlined at GIAM IX in Malta, in 1991, technology development is dominated by chemical and genetical engineers. Biocatalyst development requires, however, microbial physiologists and microbial biotechnologists capable of revolutionizing our presently rather old

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World Journal

of Microbiology

6 Bmtechnology, Vol 12. 1996

fermentation technologies (Doelle 1993). The lack of such personnel may be highlighted by the following observations: (i) as an adviser to the Prince of Songkla University in Thailand for the transformation of the Department into a Faculty of Agro-Industry and its subsequent curriculum, development, I learned that all universities in Thailand combined produced only one-tenth of the graduates in Agro-Industry required in the strongly growing industry; (ii) in a workshop/seminar conducted in Fiji a few years ago (Doelle 1995a) and a report undertaken for Unesco in 1995 (Doelle 1995b) it became obvious that there is an almost complete lack of trained microbiologists in the Pacific Region (which consists of approximately 27 Island Nations) and the number of science students is decreasing at an alarming rate. Of the three universities in the region, the University of the South Pacific established a lecturer position in microbiology 3 years ago, and the Papua New Guinea (PNG) University only about 1-2 years ago. The PNG University of Technology in Lae is mainly concerned with Food Science and Technology, with little if any microbial technology; (iii) as a visiting research scientist in the Department of Environmental Biotechnology at the Institute of Ecology in Xalapa in Mexico, I learned of the severe lack of microbial biotechnologists in that country. The Government of Mexico will have great difficulties to carry out all the waste utilization programmes required under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because of a lack of personnel. The situation in science in Mexico has been widely published by a review article in Nature in 1994. To my knowledge there exist only five to six microbial biotechnology research groups in Mexico; (iv) as International Organiser of four UNESCO sponsored Training Courses in the Peoples Republic of China (Beijing and Shanghai), Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby) and Vietnam (Hanoi) and teacher/adviser at one in Nigeria (Enugu) over the past 5 years, the large number of applicants from developing countries all over the World seeking basic training in microbial process development for each course indicates the demand for training opportunities. Although the discussions at GIAM IX resulted in the establishment of Fellowships as well as Chairs in Biotechnology by UNESCO for up to 3 month periods, more is required in the form of training courses to close the gap. We urgently need expertly trained personnel before we can expect a joint venture capital investment into clean technologies. Furthermore, it is high time that developed countries, their Governments and research teams realize that developing countries ‘do not want to go our way of biotechnology development’. We have to study their culture and society before we can help develop an appropriate clean technology in a given country. In many cases our developed technologies may form a basis on which to build and develop a clean technology.

]oinf venfure capital investment

Fields

I

Corn [Maize] Grain

+

WASTE

4

+ Dry Mill

BiofertiIiser

Wet Mill

I Microbial Protein DDG

Residue 4

v Anaerobic Digestion

he 4

Glucose

Glucose v

11

LI” Co27 Fructose -

-c

Al

Methane

Effluent

Solids -

DDG + MBP EftJuent

WASTE UTILIZATION

1

[Anubaenq Dunaliella, Spirulina] -

+

ETHANOL

L

FEED

DRY ICE

1 BJOFUJXL

Effluent

Extraction

VITAMIN

Aquaculture

Effluent Recycle -

Figure

2. Socio-economic

Farm

Cooperative

System.

DDG-Distiller’s

Dried

Grain;

MBP-Microbial

Biomass

Protein.

World Journal of Microbiology 6 Biotechnonology, Vol 12, 1996

449

H. W. Doelle

References DaSilva, E.J. 1981 The renaissance of biotechnology: man, microbe, biomass and industry. Acta Biotechnologica 1, 207-246. DaSiJva, E.J., Ratledge, C. & Sasson, A. (eds) 1992 Biotechnology: Economic and social aspects. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DoelIe, H.W. 1982 Appropriate biotechnology in less developed countries. Conservation b Recycling 5, 75-77. DoelIe, H.W. 1989 Socio-economic biotechnology development for developing countries. MIRCEN-Journal of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 5, 391-410. Doelle, H.W. 1991a Biotechnology and sustainable development. The Pacific Perspective. Proceedings of the International Sympositrm of Biotechnologies and Environment for Sustainable Development, Montreal. Doelle, H.W. 199lb Socio-ecological aspects in the use of microbial technology in agricultural waste treatment. Proceedings of the Symposium on Microbial and Engineering Technology In Waste Treatmenf, pp. 134-143. Hong Kong: The Commercial Press Ltd. DoeJJe, H.W. 1993 Use of socio-economical principles for the advancement of fermentation technologies. In International Cooperation and Education in Applied Microbiology, pp. 69-75. Osaka: Osaka University Press. DoeJJe, H.W. 1994 Microbial Process Development. Singapore: World Scientific Publishers.

Doelle, H.W. 1995a The aim of the MIRCEN-Biotechnology Pacific Regional Network. Proceedings of the 4th Pacific Rim Biotechnology Conference, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 201-202 (Abstract). Doelle, H.W. 1995b Promotion of Scient$c and Technological Education and Research in the Pacific Region for Sustainable Development. Report to Australian National Commission for Unesco, Canberra, June 1995. Doelle, H.W. & Gumbira-Sa’id,E. 1992 Joint Microbial Biotechnological Ventures in Developing Countries: Social Promises and Economic Consideration. In Biotechnology: Economic and Social Aspects, eds DaSilva, EJ., Ratledge, C. & Sasson, A. pp. 235265. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Doelle, H.W., Olguin, E.J. & Prasertsan, P. 1987 Fermentation technology and its impact on culture and society. In Microbial Technology in the Developing World, eds DaSilva, E.J., Dommergues, Y.R., Nyns, E.J. & Ratledge, C. pp. 209-225. Oxford: Oxford Science Publications. Doelle, H.W., Olguin, E.J. & Doelle, M.B. 1994 A model for future microbial process systems as a clean environmental technology for sustainable development, In Environmental Biotechnology: Principles and Applications, eds Moo-Young, M., Anderson, W.A. & Chakrabarty, A.M. pp. 712-722. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Joint venture capital investment for clean technologies and their problems in developing countries.

All technological developments are aimed at improving the quality of life of a community of people. Biotechnology is a technology which allows the exp...
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