There has been a dramatic growth in the production of biofuels in recent times. In response to the energy crisis, global warming, and climate changes, biomass has received a great deal of interest as a promising feedstock for the production of biofuels. Biofuels derived from biomass are renewable and sustainable energies with the potential to replace fossil fuels. In addition, the development of biofuels might reduce a country’s reliance on crude oil imports, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and increase regional incomes. Global biofuel production tripled between 2000 and 2007, and biofuels accounted for about 1.6% of global transportation fuel in 2012 (International Energy Agency).
Career Scopes in Environmental Biotechnology
By Parinita Gupta
Environmental Biotechnology
Environmental biotechnology is a stream in science that deals with microorganisms for environmental improvements. It primarily focuses on improving biological systems. It is cross-disciplinary where the experts focus on creating new products, analyzing them and their relationships which helps in developing the environment. Environmental biotechnology is a combination of both biology and professional engineering where the students work of developing the remediate contaminated sites like microbes, bacteria, fungi, etc. biologists of this stream undertake research on these organisms, break down them and convert them into harmless organelles which can be beneficial to the environment.
Environmental biotechnologists may also use plants to filter pollutants in soil, water, or air, convert plants to biofuels, or develop more sustainable processes to prevent pollution.
Career Scopes in Environmental Biotechnology
Graduates and postgraduates from this background have a lot of scopes. Companies tend to take the professionals as the demand is quite very high in this industry. Environmental Biotechnology is a lucrative career Abroad. There are many government institutions looking for professionals who can really work on these organelles. Environmental biotechnology is combined with sustainable resources like soil and water air etc. In the past decade, it was also observed that there is a lot of scope in energy sustainable resources. Usage of soil, water, air, biological waste and converting them for generating resources like radiant energy, kinetic energy, thermal energy, hydropower, and many more. This industry had become a vast industry that had opened many new career roles for trained professionals.
Career Opportunities in Environmental Biotechnology
The majority of environmental biotechnologists work in private industry for private companies which provide bioremediation services, or environmental consulting companies. Many people get job opportunities in research and development for biofuel firms.
Some highly qualified professionals also get a chance to work in government sectors for federal and state agencies involved in land management and restoration, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They are employed to conduct researches
The demand is quite huge all across the world and maximum demand is seen on the east coast and in California and Texas
Read: Role of Machine Learning, AI & Big Data Analytics in Energy & Sustainability
Major Fields in Environmental Biotechnology:
There are many fields in the Environmental Biotechnology field.
Biofuels- Biofuels are fuels made from organic material. This industry is gaining a lot of importance due to the awareness of pollution and rapid change in the climate. The industry is still is a niche in India, but it grows well abroad. This field seeks graduates and master graduates of environmental biologists, agricultural engineers, and scientists with a degree in biochemistry or microbiology. An average salary in this stream ranges from $40, 000 to $80,000.
Bioremediation– Bioremediation is a new concept of cleaning contaminated land with the help of microbes and bacteria. This field is completely a research-oriented field, where the biologist has to perform various tests research to see the outcome of cleansing using microbes. An average salary in this field usually starts from $60, 000 per annum.
Agricultural Biotechnology- Agricultural Biotechnology in Environmental Biotechnology with a huge focus on crops and farming. Agricultural Biotechnologists’ aim is to research and test the crops by genetically modifying them and making them sustainable to any kind of weather conditions, pest, and diseases. This is a broad field where every country needs professionals to research crops and produce genetically modified plants. The growth in this industry is very high and the average salary starts at $75000 and above.
Educational Requirement:
To pursue a master’s degree and want to make a career in environmental biotechnology, aspirants have to complete a graduate degree in biotechnology or B.sc Science with science stream, including the subjects like including natural science, research methods, the biotechnology, agricultural science, etc.
To join reputed companies, Master’s or doctoral degrees are considered to be assets where you can be identified in the industry for better opportunities. A Master’s degree is generally a 2 years course where you have to study and perform research on a specific field you are interested in.
Core courses for Ph.D. or Masters include
- Biostatistics
- Environmental analytical chemistry
- Soil fungal communities
- Biodegradation
- Bioremediation
Other Degree’s related to Environmental Biotechnology
- Meteorology Online Degree and Certificate
- Biomimicry Degrees – Online and Campus
- Environmental Psychology Degree
- Chemistry Degree Options
- Geospatial Intelligence Analytics Degrees
Roles of Environmental Biologists:
Environmental biotechnologists apply biological processes to technology and create sustainable resources. Apart from the biological processes,
- A biologist works on converting the sustainable resources into biofuels
- They also work on treating the sewage waste and converting it into manure to plants.
- They also help in creating industrial cleansers by replacing strong chemical treatments.
- Perform complex biological tests on the field and in the laboratory.
- Maintain a document and analyze all the lab and field result.
- Environmental biotechnologists oversee the complete process improvements and data quality which help in analyzing the help workgroup of business and scientific
. Top universities in India which offer Environmental Biotechnology
- University of Delhi, Delhi
- Aligarh Muslim University, Jaunpur
- National Environmental Research Institute, Nagpur
- Amity University, Noida
- Forest Research Institute, Dehradun
- Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi
Top universities abroad which offer Environmental Biotechnology
- Middle Tennessee State University
- Wageningen University & Research
- Queensland University of Technology
- Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
- Deakin University, Australia
- Institute of Technology (Ireland)
- Leeds Beckett University UK
- University of Greenwich UK
- LUND University, Sweden
Major Job titles Job:
- Environmental Biotechnologist
- Environmental specialists
- Environmental Scientist
- Environmental Consultant
- Environmental Science Manager
- Lecturer
- Conservation Hydrologist
- Director of Waste Management
Jobs can be found in many environmental monitoring organizations, environmental consultancies, universities, Industries, distilleries, fertilizer plants, Government organizations, NGOs, Pollution Control Boards, Public Institutions and Private Industries, Firms, etc.
Read: Electric Vehicles vs Biofuels
Salary & Pay Scale
Salary packages are quite good in this field. According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS), An Average salary for environmental specialists and scientist starts from approx $75,000 per annum. In India, A bachelor’s degree holder can get an average salary between approx Rs. 3 to 4 lac lacs per annum while masters or a Ph. D holder can take up to 4 to 8 lacs per annum.
Moreover, the salary packages totally depend on various factors such as the size of the organization, sectors, working location, education, and various other factors.
According to the Biotechnology Institute, there is a lot of demand for environmental biologists, there is more than 15% growth in the industry, and seeking to appoint more than 13,200 jobs for various roles by 2022. This rate is considered to be faster than the average job growth rate across all occupation