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The development prospects of the world markets for petroleum and other liquid fuels are diverse and partly contradictory. However, comprehensive changes for the energy supply of the future are essential. Notwithstanding the fact that there are still very large deposits of energy resources from a geological point of view, the finite nature of conventional oil reserves is indisputable. To reduce our dependence on oil, the EU, the USA, and other major economic zones rely on energy diversification. For this purpose, alternative materials and technologies are being sought, and is most obvious in the transport sector. The objective is to progressively replace fossil fuels with renewable and more sustainable fuels. In this respect, biofuels have a pre-eminent position in terms of their capability of blending with fossil fuels and being usable in existing cars without substantial modification. Ethanol can be considered as the primary renewable liquid fuel. In this chapter enzymes, micro-organisms, and processes for ethanol production based on renewable resources are described.

For several thousand years, biotechnology and its associated technical processes have had a great impact on the development of mankind. Based on empirical methods, in particular for the production of foodstuffs and daily commodities, these disciplines have become one of the most innovative future issues. Due to the increasing detailed understanding of cellular processes, production strains can now be optimized. In combination with modern bioprocesses, a variety of bulk and fine chemicals as well as pharmaceuticals can be produced efficiently. In this article, some of the current trends in biotechnology are discussed.

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