Renewable Resources structural considerations

Abstract Room temperature ionic liquids (ILs) have attracted considerable attention as novel reaction media over the last decade. By virtue of their unique properties, ILs have been proposed as alternative solvents. Structurally, most of the ILs that have been investigated to date are based on imidazolium, pyridinium and ammonium cations, associated with polyatomic anions such as chloroaluminates, tetrafluoroborate, hexafluorophoshate and bis-triflimide. Although these salts have positive properties, imidazole, pyridine and halogenoalkanes come from petroleum feedstocks that are neither green nor sustainable. Renewable resources may represent a valid alternative to synthesized new ILs an alternative able to take into accounts both the ecological and economic requirements. 

Engineering polymers such as polyamides are important in structural and mechanical applications, whereas addition polymers are commodity polymers which are able to meet many essential consumer requirements. Therefore, full or even partial replacement of petroleum-based raw materials by renewable resource-based materials for the manufacture of polymeric products poses considerable difficulties. However, this is essential, as the use of renewable raw materials contributes to sustainable development and the responsibility of meeting the needs of the present without creating problems for future generations. However, not many reports are available on this topic and the discussion is therefore not comprehensive. 

We are deeply convinced that this state of affairs has nothing to do with any consideration of relative merits associated with the different structures and chemical processes involved in either context. Its origin is instead to be found in a purely economic aspect i.e. in the enormous difference in investment that favoured petrochemistry for the last half century) which was also the period when the chemical industry witnessed its fastest progress ever. The choice to finance R D activities in polymers derived from fossil resources in a massive way was to the benefit of the corresponding materials as we know them today. This objective situation, however, does not prove anything against the potential interest of alternative counterparts made from renewable resources, simply because no such investments were ever made to that effect. 

The scientific consideration about genesis of hydrocarbons allows us to consider crude oil and natural gas as renewable resources, to reexamine the structure, size and location of the world s hydrocarbons reserves. 

There is a considerable change in the structure of the utilization of the global primary energy resources. As coal prevailed until the 1970-ies, oil products were prone to gradually replace solid fuels. And, since the 1980-ies natural gas and renewable energy sources are likely to substitute oil. 

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