Bioeconomy: How Renewable Resources Can Help the Future of Our Planet (FutureLearn)

On this course, you’ll look at the ways you can make the most of renewable, biological resources, including what you might think of as ‘waste’, and how the world can move away from a fossil-based economy to a bioeconomy.
Understand the basics of a bioeconomy and why it’s important

You’ll start this course by gaining an understanding of what a bioeconomy is and which sectors it includes.

With the climate crisis being of constant concern, you’ll assess why the move away from non-renewable resources is so important and identify the skills required to transition to a bio-based economy. This will also include the skills needed to pursue a career in the bioeconomy and the many career paths available.
Discover how natural resources can help transition away from fossil fuels

On this course, you’ll delve into natural resources, such as plants and microbes, and how they can be used to produce high-value chemicals for the personal care, food, drink, and pharma sectors.

You’ll also look at how food and agricultural waste can be used to make new products. This will cover the agricultural technologies that are helping sustainability, as well as methods like anaerobic digestion, which turns waste materials into renewable resources.
Learn from the experts at BioYorkshire

Supporting York and North Yorkshire’s ambitions to become one of the first in the UK to be carbon negative, BioYorkshire is uniquely positioned to help you understand the current state of the bioeconomy, where there are opportunities for innovation, and the emerging technologies within the sustainability industry.

What topics will you cover?

- What do we mean by the ‘bioeconomy’ and why is transitioning towards a bioeconomy important?

- Value from agricultural waste - how agricultural technologies are helping sustainability and agricultural residues can be used as a resource.

- Anaerobic digestion - turning waste materials into renewable energy and nutrient-rich fertiliser.

- Unavoidable food waste - how we can use it to make new products.

- High value chemicals from plants and microbes - solutions for the personal care, food, drink and pharma sectors.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

- Explore what the bioeconomy is and which sectors it includes

- Debate why the move away from a fossil-fuel economy is important

- Identify some of the skills needed to pursue a career in the bioeconomy and some of the bioeconomy career paths available

- Explain how natural resources such as plants and microbes can be used to produce high value chemicals

- Assess how waste can be used as a resource to produce energy and products