Page 86 - University of Pretoria Research Review 2017

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Bioeconomy, systems biology and technology as catalyst
Eshchar Mizrachi, Forest Molecular Genetics Research Programme (FABI), Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology
Inside a plant cell one-hundredth of the size of a pinhead, sugar molecules
are broken down and in some cases converted to phenolics, moved around
and delivered to protein machines that synthesise the biopolymers cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin, to build a reinforced and waterproof cell wall. Almost all sugar not required for basic cell survival is invested in this process, until eventually the cell wall is complete, resources are spent and the cell dies, leaving a hollow but reinforced tube. This process is simultaneously coordinated across hundreds of thousands of cells of a tree stem every day and repeated as wood is formed.
Globally, trees are increasingly on the radars of many plant biology and biotechnology researchers, industry players and science policymakers. The main driver is the realisation that a global economy dependent on fossil fuels and finite mined materials is unsustainable and will not serve the world’s growing and economically developing population. A solution, therefore, is the sustainable management, growth and production of biomaterials and biofuels from plant biomass for a greener and more circular bioeconomy, and almost nothing beats fast-growing plantation forestry for a renewable resource of this biomass.
But the economy is only one driver of this trend, and a move towards replacing fundamental and ubiquitous raw materials is dependent on a crucial catalyst – revolutionary technology.