Biobased Industrial Products Priorities for Research and Commercialization (2000) / Chapter Skim
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5 Making the Transition to Biobased Products
5 Making the Transition to Biobased Products
Pages 103-125
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From page 103... ...
These potential benefits of biobased products could justify future public policies that encourage a transition to renewable raw materials for the production of organic chemicals, fuels, and materials. Despite the potential benefits from biobased products, certain impediments could hamper a transition to biobased production.
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From page 104... ...
and commercialization of biobased industrial products. A VISION FOR THE FUTURE The committee has described circumstances that it believes will accelerate the introduction of more sustainable approaches to the production of industrial chemicals, liquid fuels, and materials.
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From page 105... ...
b Biobased organic chemicals represent an important market for the biobased industry. Examples include oxygenated chemicals such as butanol or butyl butyrate that can be processed into other intermediate and specialty chemicals traditionally dependent on fossil fuel feedstocks.
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From page 106... ...
Status of research Clean Air Act mandates Support by government and industry Most R&D supported by biobased and development oxygenated fuels; fuel ethanol makes lignocellulosics competitive. industry and conducted in subsidies; low level of R&D academia, government, and investment by public sector.
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From page 107... ...
biobased products. Products Glycerol, ethanol, sorbitol, acetic Ethanol as feedstock for ethylene; other Most specialty, intermediate, and acid, citric acid, succinic acid, major oxygenated chemicals; some commodity chemicals.
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From page 108... ...
Sources Trees; fiber crops (e.g., cotton and Trees; new domesticated crops (e.g., Transgenic plants and trees kenaf) ; strawboard.
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From page 109... ...
Up to 100 million metric tons of crop residues could be converted into biobased organic chemicals. Other potential resources include production of low-risk crops on a portion of the 35 million acres of land set aside in the Conservation Reserve Program.
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From page 110... ...
Sustainability also will require careful accounting of all material and energy inputs and outputs into the production and processing system, and assurance that healthy soil -- the ultimate production resource for biobased products -- will be maintained. Economic and environmental sustainability should be the basis of efforts to improve the raw materials, processes, and products of biobased industries.
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From page 111... ...
Commodity Products For commodity products the goal of research and development is to reduce the costs of raw materials and processing because these have a major effect on product cost. The raw materials are heterogeneous, and more than one product is generally produced.
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From page 112... ...
is a venture capital firm that makes investments in companies to help commercialize biobased industrial products (nonfood, nonfeed) from agricultural and forestry materials and animal byproducts.
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Federal-State Cooperation Biobased industrial development across the United States often will be region or state specific because of differences in agricultural or forestry resources. Consequently, a diversity of approaches to the development of biobased industries is encouraged.
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Increasing consumer awareness for biobased industrial products could lead to widespread acceptance of biobased products. A seal of authenticity, for example, could raise awareness of environmentally friendly biobased products.
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An important function of this annual meeting and its associated support organizations could be to set standards for biobased materials, perhaps by issuing a seal of authenticity for biobased products. Technical Training Today's curricula in chemical and process engineering are thoroughly
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From page 116... ...
Improved communication of process engineers with plant breeders and molecular biologists would help tailor various raw materials to specific processing needs. Today innovations for industrial applications are not the focus of most plant breeders because industrial use of plant material is small relative to its use as food and feed.
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From page 117... ...
The government's research programs should be sensitive to major technical and economic roadblocks that impede the progress of biobased industrial products. Expansion of a biobased industry will require a broad base of knowledge from research in fundamental biological and engineering principles to development of practical technologies that support biobased industries.
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From page 118... ...
Processing Advances In order for biobased products to compete more effectively with petroleum-derived products, the cost of processing raw materials to biobased products must be significantly reduced. Engineering research should focus on developing and improving new and existing processing technologies and on integrating technologies that have the potential to significantly reduce costs.
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From page 119... ...
Others could unlock the potential of vast new sources of raw materials, make possible whole new product types, or minimize waste production. Ultimately, developing biobased production systems will require modeling to provide an integrated view of sources, processes, and products in the evaluation of technical and economic feasibility.
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From page 120... ...
. Biological Conversion of Raw Materials Enzymes In many cases, enzymes are the best way to process renewable raw materials into biobased products.
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From page 121... ...
. Concentrating Dilute Aqueous Products Biobased products that result from reactions in water are present at low concentrations and mixed with other reaction products.
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From page 122... ...
Reuse of Wastes The hundreds of millions of tons of organic industrial, agricultural, and municipal wastes generated annually in the United States are disposed of at increasing cost; in fact, these wastes represent a significant potential source of renewable raw materials for biobased products. Current practices in the production, processing, and use of fossil carbon create many environmental problems, including the wastes generated at all stages.
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From page 123... ...
Delivering Economic and Effective Biobased Products This report identifies numerous R&D priorities for raw materials, processing, and products for a biobased industry. A theme throughout is that the methods, techniques, and technologies developed must be both effective and economical.
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From page 124... ...
To ensure that biobased products fulfill their promise of environmental sustainability, life-cycle assessments of biobased products should be a research priority. CONCLUSION Over the past century, industrial products derived from petroleum -- plastics, fuels, lubricants, and building materials -- gradually replaced similar products that were once derived from renewable biological materials.
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From page 125... ...
This report has identified key opportunities for biobased products and the research and policy priorities that could facilitate the transition. With a vigorous commitment from all parties, the United States will be well positioned to reap the benefits of a strong biobased industry.
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