Certificate of Achievement
has completed the following course:
Plants to Products: An Introduction to Biorefining
This online course introduced the principles of biorefining and industrial biotechnology, exploring how crops, residues, and wastes can be transformed into valuable products. Learners examined two key feedstocks, and explored processes, and opportunities for sustainable, low-carbon innovation.
2 weeks, 4 hours per week
Meirion Roberts
Lecturer in Food Science and Biotechnology
Aberystwyth University
Transcript
Learning outcomes
- Describe the role of biorefining in the circular bioeconomy, including key concepts, terminology, and UK-relevant drivers for innovation in land-based sectors.
- Explain key industrial biotechnology processes used in biorefining (e.g. fermentation, downstream processing), highlighting their purpose, benefits, limitations, and sustainability implications.
- Assess the challenges and opportunities facing bio-based industries, including policy, market trends, infrastructure, and environmental impact.
- Apply your learning to a real-world context by outlining how your land, business, or sector could engage with biorefining and contribute to the bioeconomy.
Syllabus
Week 1: Introduction to Industrial Biotechnology and Biorefining
Understand what industrial biotechnology is and how it underpins the circular bioeconomy. Explore how biorefining converts biomass into valuable products such as biofuels, bioplastics, and biochemicals.
Week 2: Biorefinery Tour
Take a tour of a biorefinery and begin to explore how different feedstocks and feed into the biorefinery concept
In association with
Issued on 13th September 2026
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