Biobased Products and Industries

Charis M. Galanakis

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9780128201534
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Chemical & Biochemical Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Biobased Products and Industries fills the gap between academia and industry by covering all the important aspects of biobased products and their relevant industries in one single reference. Highlighting different perspectives of the bioeconomy, EU relevant projects, as well as the environmental impact of biobased materials and sustainability, the book covers biobased polymers, plastics, nanocomposites, packaging materials, electric devices, biofuels, textiles, consumer goods, and biocatalysis for the decarboxylation and decarboxylation of biobased molecules, including biobased products from alternative sources (algae) and the biobased production of chemicals through metabolic engineering.

Focusing on the most recent advances in the field, the book also analyzes the potentiality of already commercialized processes and products.

• Highlights the important aspects of biobased products as well as their relevant industries in one single reference
• Focuses on the most recent advances in the field, analyzing the potentiality of already commercialized processes and products
• Provides an ideal resource for anyone dealing with bioresource technology, biomass valorization and new products development

Chapter 1

Overview of bio-based industries

Antonio D. Moreno, Ana Susmozas, José Miguel Oliva, and María José Negro CIEMAT, Department of Energy, Biofuels Unit, Madrid, Spain

Abstract

The increasing population, rapid depletion of nonrenewable resources, and global warming are major driving forces to radically change our production and consumption approaches. Focusing at processing, storage, recycling, and disposal of biological resources, bio-based industries are leading the transition toward a more sustainable bioeconomy worldwide. These industries use starch-based, sugar-based, lignocellulose, algal biomass, and waste-derived feedstocks to produce a wide range of biofuels, polymers, and other significant products within a biorefinery perspective. The present chapter provides a general overview of prominent bio-based industries working on in Europe and globally and lists some of the most relevant projects that are leading the transition to a nonfossil era.

Keywords

Bioeconomy; Biomass valorization; Product development; Sustainability; Waste management

1.1. Introduction

Sustainable development is among the most important issues for both global research and political agenda today. This is due to the serious challenges that our society is facing, including climate change, resource depletion, and environmental degradation. The implementation of the so-called bioeconomy will promote the use of renewable biological resources to produce food, materials, and energy, while balancing, for instance, waste production and/or greenhouse gas emission.

Targeting at reducing our dependence on fossil-based products and meeting the global sustainability objectives, a strong bio-based industrial sector is needed to lead such transition. Bio-based industries are therefore in charge of using renewable biomass (i.e., any biological resource that can be used as raw material) to deliver and place in the market a full pallet of products with application in different sectors, ultimately creating new jobs opportunities and economic growth. Moreover, within the concept of a circular economy where the value of products, materials, and resources should be extended in the economy for as long as possible, the bio-based industry contributes to a better management of current biological resources, thus minimizing waste generation.

Bioindustry mainly uses animal fats, vegetable oils (rapeseed oil, palm oil, soybean oil, etc.), sugar, and/or starch crops (maize, wheat, sugar beet, etc.), lignocellulosic and algal biomass (wood, straw, sugarcane bagasse, corn stover, seaweed, etc.), and waste-derived feedstocks (brewer's spent grain, the organic fraction of municipal solid waste, residues from the paper and pulp industry, etc.) as bio-based raw materials. Intermediate compounds and other coproducts such as glycerol and ethanol are also considered as platform chemicals by these companies. Special attention must be paid to the use of food-derived residues such as raw material, since the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has estimated the production of about 1.3 billion tons/year worldwide (FAO, 2011). Food waste can either be of animal and plant origin and may be converted into a wide range of products such as antioxidants, dietary fibers, essential oils, carotenoids, oils rich in omega-3 fatty acids, or chitosan polymers for biomedical applications (Galanakis, 2012; Bastidas-Oyanedel et al., 2016).

Bio-based products traditionally include wood, cork, natural rubber, paper, textiles, and/or wooden construction materials. Notwithstanding, bio-based chemicals, bioplastics, and biofuels are also relevant products, thus covering a long list of organic acids (e.g., lactic acid, succinic acid, acetic acid), alcohols (e.g., ethanol, lauryl alcohol, furfuryl alcohol), polymers (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate, polyhydroxyalkanoate, starch-based plastics), surfactants (e.g., glycolipids, sophorolipids, carboxymethyl starch), solvents (e.g., isobutanol, ethyl acetate, acetone), adhesives (e.g., methacrylates, epoxy resins, tall oil rosin), cosmetics (e.g., limonene, xanthan, vanillin), lubricants (e.g., isoalkanes, fatty acid methyl esters), etc (Spekreijse et al., 2019). Moreover, bio-based products can be classified into “drop-in” alternatives, when they are homologous to those obtained from fossil resources, and novel products, when having new functionalities and potential markets (European Commission, 2018).

The most important drivers for the development of the bio-based industry are the economic impact and process sustainability (Nattrass et al., 2016). These drivers include the profitability of the company and the environmental performance of the products. Policy may also be considered a significant driver with a secondary role, although it may become more important in the future. Although it is an important driver, the economic impact exhibits a dual role by representing one of the most prominent constrains at the same time. Major economic con...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Contributors
• Foreword
• Preface
• Chapter 1. Overview of bio-based industries
• Chapter 2. Development perspectives for the bio-based economy
• Chapter 3. Government regulation of bio-based fuels and chemicals
• Chapter 4. Biofuels
• Chapter 5. Bio-based production of chemicals through metabolic engineering
• Chapter 6. Algae for the production of bio-based products
• Chapter 7. Bio-based products from wood materials
• Chapter 8. Bio-based packaging materials
• Chapter 9. Bio-based electric devices
• Chapter 10. Bio-based textile coatings and composites
• Index