Bio-based economy

Selected case studies Environmental impact Economic 

Regarding biorefinery, the recently published book Biorefineries - Industrial Processes and Products [101] provides an excellent overview of the status quo and future directions in this area. 

The diversification of energy sources tailored to the requirements and resources of each country using nature s renewable resources such as the sun (photovoltaics), wind power, geothermal energy and biomass is a definite requirement. If solar cells are chosen to provide an alternative to fossil fuels, significant research work is needed (i) to develop new routes for the production of crystalline silicon, (ii) in the development of amorphous silicon hybrid materials that could result in enhanced efficiencies, (iii) for further development of thin-layer technology, (iv) in concerted efforts for cheaper and more stable dyes, (v) in improving the efficiency of the dye-sensitized cells and (vi) in process development to deliver enhanced device performances, ensure sustainability and reduce production costs on an industrial scale. 

However, to overcome present barriers, sustainable energy vectors should be developed in a harmonized way, taking into account all possibilities and related technologies, and not be limited to one or few sources. For example, in the transportation sector, several technologies present great potential biomass conversion into biofuels, hydrogen fuel cells, hybrid engines and the exploration of metal 

Bio-fuels should be not in competition vith food. Therefore, new technologies need to be developed to efficiently convert cellulosic, fiber or wood-based, waste biomass into fermentable sugars. Similarly, to make biodiesel competitive as a transport fuel, efforts should be directed to diversify the use of raw materials and to improve the processes while making them more economic by developing added-value uses for by-products such as glycerol. Catalysis plays a critical role in achieving these objectives [9]. 

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Bioethanol upgrading and valorization is another area in which catalysis will be a key player. The decrease in ethanol production cost and the need to realize a transition to a society based more on renewables are two driving forces to develop new catalytic processes for bioethanol conversion. However, without improvements in the efficiency and selectivity of the various processes for ethanol, and in general biomass conversion, which are possible only by the introduction of better and/or new catalysts, this transition to a bio-based economy will probably not be possible. Research on catalysis will thus be the enabling factor for this change towards a more sustainable society. 

The increasing cost of fossil fuels and the concerns related to their environmental impact and greenhouse gas effect, as well as the need of securing energy supplies, are accelerating the transition to a bio-based economy. Various R D tools need to be provided to realize this transition. The replacement of fossil fuel by bio-mass has been addressed in recent years worldwide. The EU, for example, has defined a target to double the share of renewable energy from 6% in 1997 to 12% by 2010 (COM 1997 599). 

While the SRA document was structured along the three sections indicated above, the lAP document was instead organized along eight areas (bio-based economy. 

In Chapter 1 (Section 1.6.1, Bio-based Economy) it was noted how white biotechnologies contribute to sustainability. We may cite, as an additional example, that DSM s route to the antibiotic cephalexin (a combination of a fermentation and an enzymatic reaction with respect to multistep chemo-synthesis) reduces of 65% the materials and energy used, and about 50% the variable costs [153]. Other examples of biocatalysis and white biotechnologies used industrially by DSM are summarized in Table 2.5. 

The ongoing developments with regard to biorefineries and the bio-based economy have sparked renewed interest in the known bio-based building block FDCA. Although academic research so far has shown that FDCA-based polyesters have interesting properties, and are in many ways comparable to terephthalic acid based polyesters, various challenges remain to be overcome in order to come to full-scale industrial production. First of aU, large-scale... 

With an increasing awareness and concerns about our dependency on fossil resources and the depletion of crude oil reserves, this book aims to give an overview to the bio-based economy. Experts from academia and industries worldwide have presented their views on industrial biotechnology, green chemistry and sustainable policy related to the use of renewable raw materials for non-food applications and energy supply. Innovative key research concepts such as waste valorization and its society aspects related to renewable resources need to be transferred to the public, academic and industrial sectors in order to redouble efforts towards a more sustainable society and a bio-based economy. 

EuropaBio Policy Guide, Building a Bio-based Economy for Europe in 2020,... 

The obviously reduced density (Table 13.1) appears especially interesting for environmentally friendly transportation, as weight reduction in the automobile industry helps saving fuel. In turn, this further reduces greenhouse gas emissions and the demand for fossil resources, both being most desirable toward realizing a bio-based economy [79-81]. 

M. Iji, Highly functional bioplastics used for durable products. The Netherlands Science and Technology, Innovative Technologies in Bio-Based Economy, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 8th April, 2008 [http // www.twanetwork.nl]. 

Cok B, Tsiropoulos I, Roes AL, Patel MK (2014) Succinic acid production derived from carbohydrates an energy and greenhouse gas assessment of a platform chemical toward a bio-based economy. Biofuel Bioprod Bior 8 16-29... 

Wood, S.W, LayzeU, D.B., 2003. A Canadian Biomass Inventory Feedstocks for the Bio-based Economy. BIOCAP Canada Foundation, Kingston, ON. 

The use of renewable biofeedstock for fulfilling various human needs other than just food and fuel is not new. But, in the present context, the "bio-based economy," as opposed to the "fossil-based economy," will primarily hasten the use of the nonfood parts, eg, wheat and rice straw, com stover, sugarcane bagasse, forest residues, etc., which are formed of lignocellulose. 

A choice has been made considering the scale at which the process should work. As previous studies were always based on very large-scale production of ethylene (>300,000 t/year), in this study a smaller-scale production unit has been considered more fitting to the scale of the bio-based economy. This scale is determined by the amount of biomass (biogas) which can be produced in a region on a yearly basis. 

The presented exercise with respect to the potential of the OCM process for ethylene production shows that it is worthwhile to further investigate the implementation of this process and its role within the transition from a fossU-based economy to a bio-based economy. A pilot factory for the OCM process based on biogas input would make a... 

For bio-based ethanol processes, the sugar to ethanol route has been proven to be efficient for sugarcane-based inputs. The other bio-based inputs are still less efficient. However, the growing demand of sugar for the bio-based economy will lower the amount of ethanol for fuel purposes from sugar, thus creating space for chemical ethanol production via the OCM process and subsequent conversion of ethylene/ ethane mixtures into ethanol. 

In conclusion, it can be said that the increasing change toward a bio-based economy will increase the demand for bio-based alcohol production making the use of chemically based alcohol production routes necessary. Only easy and low-cost production methods of alcohol production will allow the use of alcohols for fuel purposes. In the future alcohols will become more and more attractive for chemical use. 

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