At FUTA workshop, experts emphasise development of renewable energy sources

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3 years ago

Experts and researchers from various institutions and organizations have reiterated the need to develop renewable energy sources that are environment-friendly and sustainable.

This was the consensus of views at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology course themed ‘Laboratory Techniques in Molecular Biology and Enzyme Engineering for Sustainable Bio-energy: From Theory to Bench’, which was held at the Federal University of Technology Akure, FUTA between September 26 and 30, 2022.

Presenting the keynote address, the Director-General/CEO, the National Biotechnology Development Agency, represented by the deputy director of the agency, Dr Shakirat Ajenifuja-Solebo, said the course was important because of the obvious need to urgently change the course of the global energy production and consumption, given the recent occurrences of extreme weather conditions in different regions of the world.

Participants noted that the Ukraine-Russia war had had far-reaching effects on global politics and economy, energy demand and supply.

Dr Ajenifuja-Solebo noted that the annual global demand for biofuels is set to reach 186 billion litres in 2026 (representing 28% growth).

He said that biofuels produced from wastes, residues and dedicated crops that do not compete with food crops make up 45% of biofuels estimated to be consumed in 2030.

He, however, expressed concern that fossil fuel would increasingly play a significant role in meeting local energy demands in Nigeria contrary to the trends in other regions of the world, but that the country could change the scenario if it harnesses local bioenergy capacities and appropriate technologies in a sustainable manner.

The vice chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji, who was represented by the deputy vice-chancellor, development, Professor Phillip Oguntunde, said the course was very relevant at this time when there is increasing demand for safe energy, particularly renewable energy, not just in Africa but globally due to increasing human population, urbanization, industrialization and adverse effects of climate change.

Professor Oladiji called on agencies, and private and public institutions to leverage the competencies and exposure of researchers in FUTA and other research organisations by spearheading cutting-edge research in different thematic areas.

In her remarks the convener, Fulbright scholar and Principal Investigator and Head, Enzyme and Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, E-Biotech Lab, FUTA, Professor Folasade Olajuyigbe, said as the global need for energy grows, research interests now focus on developing clean fuel initiatives, creating awareness among the public about bioenergy research, energy and sustainability issues affecting the planet.

She said globally, bioenergy research institutes and laboratories continue to advertise for collaboration, postdoctoral positions and researchers to combine their expertise, skills and exchange ideas to accelerate the process of discovering and developing advanced biofuels that can replace gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

The workshop exposed participants to laboratory-based courses with various lectures followed by laboratory practical sessions.

Some of the highlights include a lecture on ‘Cell-free synthetic biology as a platform for rapid enzyme engineering’ delivered by Dr Jenny Molloy, a senior research associate at the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK.

There were also lectures by highly-ranked global scientists including Dr Syed Shams Yazdani of ICGEB, New Delhi, India who delivered a lecture on ‘Fungal Genetic Engineering to Produce Enzymes for 2G Biofuels’; Dr Alfred Fernandez Castane of Aston University, Birmingham, UK who spoke on ‘Recombinant Production of Enzymes: Cloning to High Cell Density Cultivation’, and Dr Olusola Ogunyewo, a co-organizer of the course and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Berkeley, California, USA, who spoke on ‘Bioinformatics Tools for DNA/Protein Sequence Analysis: Pri Qmer Design and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)’.

At the closing ceremony, the vice chancellor emphasized the importance of effective and sustainable cross-discipline collaboration in all fields to enhance technology and proffer solutions to societal challenges.

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