The current model for industrial production still depends heavily on fossil fuels and utilizes an approach to consumption that has strong environmental impacts and does not make full use of resulting waste. The CNPEM works to combine renewable raw materials, biotechnology, and nanotechnology to accelerate the transition to more sustainable development based on a circular economy and using environmentally correct technologies.
Topics of interest include the role of microorganisms and their enzymes as molecular biofactories and enzymes that can create environmentally friendly alternatives for industrial manufacturing and extractivism, and the role of nanotechnology in developing biopolymers.
The goal of the program is to shed light on the fundamental mechanisms of depolymerization and conversion of raw materials into high-value-added molecules and to apply biotechnology and nanotechnology to create new functionalities of interest to industry, consequently producing materials, microorganisms, and enzymes that benefit from the comparative advantages of Brazilian biomass and biodiversity.