While most people are still imagining robotic assembly lines, a more profound manufacturing revolution has quietly arrived – one that uses living organisms such as microbes and cells to produce materials. This is biomanufacturing. [SynBioCon] learned that Academician Tan Tianwei of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Beijing University of Chemical Technology recently pointed out that by 2050, the economic value created by biomanufacturing may exceed $30 trillion, making it the core driving force of the next-generation industrial revolution.
What is Biomanufacturing? Turning Living Organisms into "Intelligent Factories"
Unlike traditional factories filled with the roar of machinery, biomanufacturing represents "factories with life". It leverages biological units including microbes, animal or plant cells, and modifies their metabolic pathways through design to produce various substances needed by humans.
Simply put, it is about letting living organisms "manufacture products". The shift from traditional fermentation – where yeast is used to produce alcohol – to modern biomanufacturing technologies that enable microbes to generate pharmaceutical molecules, fragrances, plastics and even fuels, marks a fundamental transformation in the manufacturing industry.
Biomanufacturing no longer relies on fossil resources like oil and coal as raw materials; instead, it uses renewable resources such as sugars, crop straw and carbon dioxide. Microbes "consume" these raw materials in bioreactors and metabolize high-value-added products, achieving the goals of "replacing chemical processes with biological ones" and "sustaining carbon cycles through carbon-based feedstocks".
Why is Biomanufacturing So Important?
A Key Technology to Support the "Dual Carbon" Goals
Traditional manufacturing is heavily dependent on fossil resources, whereas biomanufacturing uses renewable resources, significantly reducing carbon emissions. Academician Tan Tianwei stated that this is an important pathway to achieving carbon neutrality.
Broader Raw Material Sources and Greener Processes
Carbon dioxide can be converted into fuels and chemicals; crop straw can be turned into biodegradable plastics; microbial strains can produce pharmaceuticals, fragrances and fibers. Biomanufacturing makes factories more like "ecosystems", rendering the production process more efficient and intelligent.
Unlimited Potential of Programmable Manufacturing
With the help of artificial intelligence and synthetic biology, scientists can design the genes of microbes just like writing code, enabling them to produce specific molecules according to human needs. This "programmable manufacturing" is unleashing enormous potential.
How Will Biomanufacturing Change Our Lives?
Food Sector: "Cultured Meat" Has Become a Reality
Through cell culture technology, alternatives that closely mimic the taste and nutrition of real meat can be produced without animal farming. Novel food ingredients such as microbial proteins and synthetic dairy products are making their way to dining tables.
Fashion Industry
Spider silk proteins secreted by bacteria can be made into bio-silk; fibers synthesized from algae and fungi can replace petrochemical-based textiles; mycelium leather is being used to make bags and shoes, ushering in a new era of "green fashion".
Construction Industry
"Bio-brick" technology combines fungal mycelium with mineral particles to create bricks that can self-repair and absorb carbon dioxide. Future buildings may evolve into "green living organisms".
Transportation Sector
The production of aviation fuel from carbon dioxide has already undergone commercial test flights. Biomanufacturing can also produce high-performance lubricants and tire rubber, making transportation fully eco-friendly.
Healthcare Industry
Microbes can complete pharmaceutical synthesis processes that previously required hundreds of steps in just a few days. Advanced synthetic biology enables cells to produce personalized medicines; in the future, hospitals may even be able to "print" customized drugs and tissue organs on demand.
Challenges and Future Trends
Despite its promising prospects, biomanufacturing still faces three major challenges:
- Need for Enhanced Core CapabilitiesBreakthroughs are required in foundational areas such as gene-editing tools, microbial strain design algorithms and enzyme engineering technologies, to build an independent and controllable technological foundation.
- Difficulties in IndustrializationA "valley of death" exists between laboratory-scale technologies and large-scale production. Pilot-scale verification platforms are needed to bridge this gap.
- Incomplete Policy and Standard SystemsThe certification, safety assessment and market access mechanisms for bio-based products still need to be refined.
Three major future trends are worth paying attention to:
- Artificial Intelligence + BiomanufacturingAI can shorten the time required for microbial strain improvement from several years to a few weeks, making "life design" as precise as writing code.
- Carbon-Circular ManufacturingFactories will not only stop carbon emissions but also "consume carbon to produce products", shifting from a "carbon-consuming" model to a "carbon-circular" model.
- Cross-Border IntegrationBiotechnology will deeply integrate with materials science, energy and intelligent manufacturing, forming a brand-new industrial ecosystem.
China's Development Opportunities
China already holds leading advantages in fermentation capacity, industrial scale and engineering experience. The 2024 Government Work Report proposed actively developing biomanufacturing as a new growth engine; the 15th Five-Year Plan Recommendations clearly stated the need to advance biomanufacturing into a new economic growth driver.
Academician Tan Tianwei pointed out that with the country accelerating its strategic layout, China is poised to take a significant position in this future-oriented industrial competition of biomanufacturing. This manufacturing revolution powered by living organisms is quietly transforming our modes of production and daily life, and reshaping the landscape of future industries.
