• Length:
    5 Weeks
  • Effort:
    20–28 hours per week
  • Price:

    FREE
    Add a Verified Certificate for $149 USD

  • Institution
    WageningenX
  • Subject:
    Energy & Earth Sciences
  • Level:
    Advanced
  • Language:
    English
  • Video Transcript:
    English
  • Course Type:
    Self-paced on your time

Associated Programs:

Prerequisites

BSc in technology, engineering (and applied) sciences. You should have at least BSc level knowledge on courses and topics such as chemistry, mathematics and process engineering.

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About this course

Skip About this course

Explore how to create a sustainable future by moving away from dependence on fossil to biomass resources for the production of food, chemicals, and energy-carriers. The key is using microorganisms and catalysts to create biobased products. In this course, you will focus on the end of the supply chain - - how to market and sell those products within a profitable business model.

Join the MOOC From Fossil Resources to Biomass: A Business and Economics Perspective if you want to advance your career and get the latest academic knowledge on creating a more sustainable biobased future.

After this course, you will have an improved understanding of other relevant disciplines, and be able to better communicate outside of your own field of expertise in chemistry or technology. You will get a solid foundation of relevant concepts in the biobased economy and biobased products such as:

  • An introduction to biobased sciences
  • Achieving sustainability
  • Consumer behaviour
  • Business
  • Logistics and supply chains
  • Economics and regulations

This course is part of the MicroMasters Program Chemistry and Technology for Sustainability: a series of 3 courses and a final capstone project designed to help you join opportunities and embrace the transition from a fossil-based economy to a biobased economy. It's especially valuable to have (or ambition to have) a career in industries such as: (bio)chemical industry, agrifood water companies, energy producers, logistics, and related (non-)governmental organizations.

Explore the other courses in the MicroMasters Program:

What you'll learn

Skip What you'll learn
  • Understand the concept and importance of the biobased economy and the value of biobased products;
  • Assess sustainability issues for a given biobased case;
  • Decide how to implement a consumer point of view during the development of a biobased product;
  • Understand commercial, financial and organizational aspects of running a biobased business;
  • Understand the complexity of logistics of biobased value chains;
  • Identify and qualitatively assess the major economic implications of different kind of regulations for the future of the biobased economy.

Syllabus

Skip Syllabus

1: Achieving Sustainability

Delve into the true meaning of sustainability and how sustainability issues are linked to human activities. Biobased products are not always as sustainable as it seems on first glance. You’ll learn that an understanding of the degree of sustainability requires a thorough analysis of a variety of factors and constituents.

2: Consumer Behaviour

Understand the challenges of moving towards a biobased economy and gaining consumer acceptance. How do consumers evaluate products? And how is their perception influenced by communication strategies? Understanding the basics of consumer science will help you to implement the consumers’ view when developing a product.

3: Business

Learn the steps to transform a biobased product to a winning business case. We’ll discuss commercial, financial and organizational aspects and stakeholder management to realize biobased ambitions. You’ll also learn about the required dynamics in and timing of (innovation) activities for a sector transformation to a biobased economy.

4: Logistics

Understand the biobased supply chain including network design and geographical allocation of processing steps answering the key questions where to produce, how to transport and where to process biobased products.

5: Macro-economics and Regulation

Learn the economic basis for government regulations and implications for the biobased economy and in particular the responses by the private sector. This includes the economic foundations for government regulations from different perspectives and the implications for an economic assessment of regulatory policies.

Meet your instructors

Wageningen University & Research
Arnout Fischer
Associate Professor in Consumer Behaviour
Wageningen University & Research
Emiel Wubben
Associate Professor in Strategic Management
Wageningen University & Research
Justus Wesseler
Professor, Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy Group
Wageningen University & Research
Argyris Kanellopoulos
Assistant Professor in Operations Research and Logistics
Wageningen University & Research

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Learner testimonials

"Courses about the biobased economy and biorefinery at Wageningen University triggered me to specialise in this field, where I now also work. Truly a life-changing experience!"

''Very well designed course; worthy experts' guidance; being mindful of the importance of practical aspect of learning, the course should be very helpful for utilizing the knowledge gained in real life.''

''Overall I really have the feeling I learned a lot and the total fourse has given me more insight into the evolving biobased economy''

Frequently asked questions

Is this the same course as 'Biobased Principles and Opportunities'?
 No, but it does contain materials from that course, especially modules 3 and 5. The course 'Biobased Principles and Opportunities will not be available in the future anymore.

Is this the same course as 'Biobased Processes and Implementation'?
No, but it does contain materials from that course, espcially modules 3, 4 and 5. The course 'Biobased Processes & Implementation will not be available in the future anymore.

Who can take this course?

Unfortunately, learners from one or more of the following countries or regions will not be able to register for this course: Iran, Cuba and the Crimea region of Ukraine. While edX has sought licenses from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to offer our courses to learners in these countries and regions, the licenses we have received are not broad enough to allow us to offer this course in all locations. edX truly regrets that U.S. sanctions prevent us from offering all of our courses to everyone, no matter where they live.

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