Green Manufacturing The environmental bene t of biomachining is an asset. No chemi- cal waste is generated, as it is recycled in the process. This is a considerable advantage when complying with strict environmental regulations and reducing waste treatment costs (Diaz-Tena et al., 2014). What is biomachining for? We are working on three main research areas: • Decorative engraving of metallic parts. A cyclic reaction sys- tem for producing batches of copper pieces has been patented (Patent P201530814, 2015). The valorisation of the leftover solution has also been reported. The brochure illustrated in Figure 2 explains the range of services in this eld. • Applications in micro uidics. Human sweat may be analy- sed with very small samples taken directly from the athlete through wearable microplates. Biomachining can be used to build the negative required to print the microplates for sweat analysis and other applications. • The recovery of metals from electric and electronic waste. Europeans generate 20 kg of this kind of waste per year. Printed circuit-boards contain copper, iron, silver and gold in varying concentrations. The use of bacteria permits metal bioleaching, and the subsequent selective precipitation enables the economi- cal recovery of the most valuable metals. Figure 1. Detail of the biomachining mechanism on a copper workpiece. Biomachining: New ideas in a realistic scenario, from TRL 1 to 6 Engineering must develop technologies for future application and pro t. A good balance between feasibility and breakthrough knowledge should channel the activity of people involved in the manufacturing business. The use of bacteria for biomachining could be enframed in a TRL (Technology Readiness Level) 2-3, and the evolution steps throughout the last years has been as follows: - - - - The original idea was proposed by Yoshiyuki Uno (Japan) two decades ago. This idea can be de ned as a TRL1. During the last 5 years, several departments of the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU have been collaborating on several projects to develop the technology in the area of machining. The results have been published in inter- national research journals, and they include: o the selection of the control parameters for optimum performance of the process o the sustainable recovery of wastes o future applications A patent application was requested in 2015. Now it is time to use of the knowledge generated to spread the bioapproach to other applications, moving in the same TRL level. Further developments regarding TRL 6-9 will depend on innovative collabo- rations with companies, pursuing disruptive technologies for the mid-term. University-industry collaboration is recognized as a way to encourage the transfer of research ndings into innovative products that will stimulate eco- nomic growth and bene t society. Our team in the University of the Basque Country adapts our systems to the market/customer needs, advising on their implementation and managing the request for co-funding. We can also collaborate in nding solutions, expanding and innovating to achieve the sus- tainable development of the micro-machining industry. The environmental bene t of biomachining is an asset. No chemical waste is generated, as it is recycled in the process RESEARCH AND INNOVATION >>13