In keeping with the definition that “biotechnology is really no more than a name given to a set of techniques and processes”, the authors apply some set of fuzzy techniques to chemical industry problems such as finding the proper proportion of raw mix to control pollution, to study flow rates, to find out the better quality of products. We use fuzzy control theory, fuzzy neural networks, fuzzy relational equations, genetic algorithms to these problems for solutions.
When the solution to the problem can have certain concepts or attributes as indeterminate, the only model that can tackle such a situation is the neutrosophic model. The authors have also used these models in this book to study the use of
biotechnology in chemical industries.
The new biotechnology revolution began in the 1970s and
early 1980s when scientists learned to precisely alter the genetic constitution of living organisms by processes out with
traditional breeding practices. This “genetic engineering” has had a profound impact on almost all areas of traditional biotechnology and further permitted breakthroughs in medicine and agriculture, in particular those that would be impossible by traditional breeding approaches.
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There are evidences to show that historically biotechnology was an art rather than a science, exemplified in the manufacture of wines, beers, cheeses etc. It is well comprehended by one and all that biotechnology is highly multi disciplinary, it has its foundations in many fields including biology, microbiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, chemistry and chemical and process engineering. It is further asserted that biotechnology will be the major technology of the twenty first century.
The newly acquired biological knowledge has already made very important contributions to health and welfare of human kind.
Biotechnology is not by itself a product or range of
products; it should be regarded as a range of enabling
technologies that will find significant application in many industrial sectors.
Traditional biotechnology has established a huge and
expanding world market and in monetary terms, represents a major part of all biotechnology financial profits. ‘New’ aspects of biotechnology founded in recent advances in molecular biology genetic engineering and fermentation process
technology are now increasingly finding wide industrial
application.
In many ways, biotechnology is a series of embryonic
technologies and will require much skilful control of its development but the potentials are vast and diverse and
undoubtedly will play an increasingly important part in many future industrial processes.
It is no doubt an interaction between biology and
engineering. The developments of biotechnology are proceeding at a speed similar to that of micro-electronics in the mid 1970s.
Although the analogy is tempting any expectations that
biotechnology will develop commercially at the same
spectacular rate should be tempered with considerable caution.
While the potential of new biotechnology cannot be doubted a meaningful commercial realization is now slowly occurring and will accelerate as we approach the end of the century. New biotechnology will have a considerable impact across all industrial uses of the life sciences. In each case the relative 8
merits of competing means of production will influence the economics of a biotechnological route. There is no doubt that biotechnology will undoubtedly have great benefits in the long term in all sectors. The growth in awareness of modern
biotechnology parallels the serious worldwide changes in the economic climate arising from the escalation of oil prices since 1973.
Biotechnology has been considered as one important means of restimulating the economy whether on a local, regional national or even global basis using new biotechnological methods and new raw materials. Much of modern biotechnology has been developed and utilized by large companies and
corporations.
However many small and medium sized companies are
realizing that biotechnology is not a science of the future but provides real benefits to their industry today. In many industries traditional technology can produce compounds causing
environmental damage whereas biotechnology methods can
offer a green alternative promoting a positive public image and also avoiding new environmental penalties.
Biotechnology is high technology par excellence. Science has defined the world in which we live and biotechnology in particular will become an essential and accepted activity of our culture. Biotechnology offers a great deal of hope for solving many of the problems our world faces!. As stated in the
Advisory Committee on Science and Technology Report
Developments in Biotechnology, public perception of
biotechnology will have a major influence on the rate and direction of developments and there is growing concern about genetically modified products. Associated with genetic
manipulation are diverse question of safety, ethics and
welfare.
Public debate is essential for new biotechnology to grow up and undoubtedly for the foreseeable future, biotechnology will be under scrutiny. We have only given a description of the biotechnology and the new biotechnology. We have highly
restricted ourselves from the technical or scientific analysis of the biotechnologies as even in the countries like USA only less than 10% of the population are scientifically literate, so the 9
authors have only described it non-abstractly and in fact we are not in anyway concerned to debate or comment upon it as we acknowledge the deep and dramatic change the world is facing due to biotechnology and new biotechnology.
For more of these particulars please refer [1, 2, 13, 15, 17].
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