Sustainable Biofuel Production through Emerging Applications of Bioremediation: A Perspective with Responsible Innovation

• In Event: Climate Technologies and Unintended Consequences 1

Abstract

With the status of scientific and technology capability today, we have the means for unprecedented power at our disposal. However, as power increases, so does the intended or unintended new risks which can arise producing negative and global impacts through innovation. Technological solutions are emerging rapidly to address the current environmental issues like climate change, global warming, resource depletion and pollution (air, water and land). Bioremediation is emerging as an alternative technology to treat contaminated environment all over the world. The applications of bioremediation are explored not only as a solution to decontaminate polluted environment but also as a means to generate resource for energy production from biomass.
Von Schomberg ( 2013), has noted that "the responsibility for the positive outcomes of the use of technologies evaporates once they are marketed (whereas responsibility for the negatives outcomes remains)". However, there is no formal weighing under public policies of the benefits of particular technologies versus their risks. This study has followed the framework of Responsible Innovation (RI) to map out such factors. The anticipatory measures on the likely or unlikely consequences of biofuels produced though such innovations has not been much explored in the STS literature. Therefore, the central argument of this paper is based upon the right outcomes and impacts of research and innovation in the production of sustainable biofuel via bioremediation. An attempt has been made to explore what are the different processes to produce biofuel in general, what are the different processes to pursue bioremediation and how the innovations in this technology cater to the production of sustainable biofuel. The study has deployed survey of literature to find out the existing alternative technologies and different processes to produce biofuel. An integrated approach has been put forward in the form of inferences based on application of bioremediation for biofuel production while taking care of the environment.

Author

• Jyoti ., Centre for Studies in Science policy, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi