Happy to provide citations, but I think more explanation is in order. The stuff we currently make from metals and petroleum are not optimal, they are just whatever we could easily make from those things we could find historically.
With precise, programmable control over biochemistry, we can make almost any organic carbon based molecule from almost any other carbon source- but obviously not things like metals. However, I posit we will be able to make things with drastically superior performance that fills all of the same use cases. Consider for example that Dyneema - which is just simple straight saturated carbon chains- is already 15x the strength of steel on a weight basis. I'm talking about being able to predict the properties of a molecule ahead of time, and then make something with exactly the properties we want.
It would be quite shortsighted to make a more environmentally friendly way of making the exact same stuff when those things were limited by constraints that no longer apply and we have the potential for drastically superior materials (stronger, more durable, lower toxicity, more recyclable, etc.) for a specific problem- but it depends on what specific problem you are addressing.
As I imply below we should also be able to biosynth silicon-based stuff :)
FWIW I doubt we understand biology enough today to make biomanufacturing more efficient than conventional industrial processes, see the non sequitur of fungi based meat substitutes.
However, in the meantime, we can defo learn from bio to improve or even revolutionize our processes.
The other thing is: CO2 capture is also going to be far less feasible than increasing albedo, that's where we should focus our short term imagination. Don't lose hope for albedo increase to be
biotech based, in the short term, though!
(Eat meat that shit little yet fart more like humans)
True, in addition to things like diatoms making silicon structures, magnetotactic bacteria make iron containing metallic structures to detect magnetic fields. It is in principle possible to both recycle and manufacture metal and silicon objects biologically with precise control over 3D structure... but a lot further off from making carbon based small molecules and polymers.
With precise, programmable control over biochemistry, we can make almost any organic carbon based molecule from almost any other carbon source- but obviously not things like metals. However, I posit we will be able to make things with drastically superior performance that fills all of the same use cases. Consider for example that Dyneema - which is just simple straight saturated carbon chains- is already 15x the strength of steel on a weight basis. I'm talking about being able to predict the properties of a molecule ahead of time, and then make something with exactly the properties we want.
It would be quite shortsighted to make a more environmentally friendly way of making the exact same stuff when those things were limited by constraints that no longer apply and we have the potential for drastically superior materials (stronger, more durable, lower toxicity, more recyclable, etc.) for a specific problem- but it depends on what specific problem you are addressing.