Renewable resources consumption

Total energy from renewable resource consumption per 1 kg of product Total energy from nonrenewable resource consumption per 1 kg of product Total energy from resource consumption per 1 kg of product Mass of renewable resource r used to produce 1 kg of input i Mass of nonrenewable resource nr used to produce 1 kg of input i Carbon dioxide equivalent per 1 kg of product... 

A rather impressive Hst of materials and products are made from renewable resources. For example, per capita consumption of wood is twice that of all metals combined. The ceUulosic fibers, rayon and cellulose acetate, are among the oldest and stiU relatively popular textile fibers and plastics. Soy and other oilseeds, including the cereals, are refined into important commodities such as starch, protein, oil, and their derivatives. The naval stores, turpentine, pine oil, and resin, are stiU important although their sources are changing from the traditional gum and pine stumps to tall oil recovered from pulping. 

Implementation of the 1998 Kyoto Protocol, which is designed to reduce global carbon emissions, will have dramatic effects on fossil fuel usage worldwide. The Kyoto Protocol mostly affects delivered prices for coal and conversion of plants to natural gas, nuclear and/or renewable resources. However, as pointed out by the International Energy Agency, increased natural gas consumption in the United States may likely have the effect of increased reliance... 

An ideal renewable resource will be one that can be replenished over a relatively short timescale or is essentially limitless in supply. The latter will include solar radiation, geothermal energy, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water. Nor should production or consumption of these resources contribute to the net atmospheric burden of carbon dioxide. Advantage can be taken of the fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide into plant material by the process of photosynthesis. 

Abstract Today, the increasing global population and the rising consumption of fossil resources for energy and material use are important issues for research activities in the field of transformation of renewable resources. In petrochemistry, well-established reactions like hydroformylation are performed in multiton plants all over the world and are important examples for processing new resources beyond fossil feedstocks. This chapter deals with the application of three important reactions with carbon monoxide, specifically hydroformylation, hydroaminomethylation, and hydroesterification with renewables which have a C-C-double bond in the starting material. In these reactions, unsaturated oleocompounds and a variety of terpenes can be employed because of their naturally available double bonds. 

In order to decrease human consumption of petroleum, chemists have investigated methods for producing polymers from renewable resources such as biomass. Nature Works polylactic acid (PLA) is a polymer of naturally occurring lactic acid (LA), and LA can be produced from the fermentation of corn. The goal is to eventually manufacture this polymer from waste biomass. Another advantage of PLA is that, unlike most synthetic polymers which litter the landscape and pack landfills, it is biodegradable. PLA can also be easily recycled by conversion back into LA. It can replace many petroleum-based polymers in products such as carpets, bags, cups, and textile fibers. 

A truly sustainable energy future has two attributes no pollution or greenhouse gas emissions, and no consumption of non-renewable resources. There are only two energy options that meet this sustainability goal renewable hydrogen and fusion. 

About 170-200 billion tonnes of biomass are provided yearly by photosynthesis with the aid of sunlight. Only 4% of this enormous amount is currently used as food, fuel, or basic material. The worldwide consumption of raw materials totals about 245 million tonnes, of which only 20 million tonnes are renewable resources (8%). The aim of the United States and the European Union is to increase this proportion to 20-25% by 2020. 

Consumption master consumption of petroleum products in order to limit gases with greenhouse effect (CO2 in particular), which will also help to preserve non-renewable resources. 

It is estimated that about 16% of global energy consumption currently comes from renewable resources. Hopefully this number will increase significantly in the near future. 

---