Gary S. Sayler – författare

The purpose of these proceedings was to address the technological, economic, insti- tutional and social questions raised by the rapidly evolving u se of biotechnology for the protection. restoration, and sustainability of our environment. The symposium, "Biotech- nology in the Sustainable Environment" emphasized the future-oriented nature of biotech- nology, that is, the potential use of biotechnology in upstream decisions about materials management, in addition to the status and directions of urrent c applications. This sympo- sium incorporated statc-of-the-science. as well as risk and policy issues into the lopics of biotechnology and remediation, waste treatment, environmental evaluation and monitor- ing, and versatility and future directions in biotechnology and sustainability. Achieving a sustainable environment cannot be accomplished by one discipline or one sector of soci- ety. Likewise, long-term environmental sustainability cannot be accomplished by one gov- ernment. Sustainability must be a global effort as is evident from the multinational participation in these proceedings.The importance of biotechnology, sustainability, and the environment is highlighted by the combined support that this discipline receives from industry and the government. In this regard, we acknowledge the foresight of the sponsors and supporters of this sympo- sium: Eastman Chemical Company, E. !. DuPont De Nemours and Company, Inc.

The use of biotechnical processes in control of environmental pollution and in haz­ ardous waste treatment is viewed as an advantageous alternative or adduct to phys­ ical chemical treatment technologies. Yet, the development and implementation of both conventional and advanced biotechnologies in predictable and efficacious field applications suffer from numerous technical, regulatory, and societal uncertainties. With the application of modern molecular biology and genetic engineering, there is clear potential for biotechnical developments that will lead to breakthroughs in controlled and optimized hazardous waste treatment for in situ and unit process use. There is, however, great concern that the development of these technologies may be needlessly hindered in their applications and that the fundamental research base may not be able to sustain continued technology development. Some of these issues have been discussed in a fragmented fashion within the research and development community. A basic research agenda has been established to promote a sustainable cross-disciplinary technology base. This agenda includes developing new and improved strains for biodegradation, improving bioanalytical methods to measure strain and biodegradation performance, and providing an in­ tegrated environmental and reactor systems analysis approach for process control and optimization.