Renewable resources problems associated with

In 2018, it is estimated that all of the landfills in Hong Kong will be filled up, making it no longer an option for the disposal of waste. With the consideration of the closure of landfill and the problems associated with the disposal of waste to landfills food waste, which is potentially a renewable resource, should be diverted from landfills to valorization facilities in the foreseeable future. 

Most of the fibers and resins currently available on the market are derived from petroleum. There are two major problems associated with using petroleum as the feedstock for polymers. First, it is a non-renewable (non-sustainable) resource and at the current rate of consumption, by some estimates, it is expected to last for only 50-60 years [1]. Also, the current petroleum consumption rate is estimated to be 100,000 times the rate of natural generation rate [1]. Second, most fibers and resins made using petroleum are non-degradable. Although this is desirable in many applications from the durability point of view, at the end of their life, they are not easy to dispose of. Discarded... 

In this short review we wish to draw attention to the following a) availability of renewable resources, b) (potential and real) problems associated with the use of renewable resources, c) variability of actual structure of most natural macromolecules with source and d) complexity of structure for many natural products. Regarding the latter, while the structure of many natural materials is complex it is knowable and in many cases already known. 

Transmaterialisation is a more fundamental approach to the problem, which, with the goal of sustainable development, would ultimately switch consumption to only those resources that are renewable on a short timescale. Clearly petroleum, which takes millions of years to form, is not an example of such a sustainable resource. For the method to be truly effective, the wastes associated with the conversion and consumption of such resources must also be environmentally compatible on a short timescale. The use of polyolefin plastic bags for example, which have lifetimes in the environment of hundreds of years, is not consistent with this (no matter how they compare with alternative packaging materials at other stages in their lifecycle), nor is the use of some hazardous process auxiliaries which are likely to cause rapid environmental damage on release into the environment. 

The forest products industry is faced with two very significant problems 1) what to do with processing residues other than using them to recover low-value heat, and 2) how to meet the demand for materials should the petroleum crunch of the early 1970 s recur. Alan Lambuth, who opened the symposium, speaks not only from the needs felt by his company but also as the Chairman of the National Forest Products Association s Wood Adhesive Committee on Evaluation of Research. His committee s longterm support for research on the development of new adhesives based on renewable resources confirms that the forest products industry in the United States ranks this as high-priority research. The excellent participation by industry in the symposium that laid the foundation for this book is further evidence that many companies have deemed that investments in... 

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