Biobased Chemicals

Global biobased chemical and polymer production (excluding biofuels) is over 50 million tonnes. Notable examples of biobased chemicals include non-food starch, cellulose fibres and cellulose derivatives, tall oils, fatty acid derivatives such as surfactants and fermentation products e.g. ethanol, lactic acid, citric acid and many amino acids.

However, the majority of organic chemicals and polymers are still derived from fossil-based feedstock, predominantly oil and gas. Global petrochemical production of chemicals and polymers is over 330 million tonnes. Primary output is dominated by a small number of key building blocks, namely methanol, ethylene, propylene, butadiene, benzene, toluene, and xylene. These building blocks are mainly converted to polymers and plastics but they are also converted to a staggering number of different fine and specialty chemicals with specific functions and attributes.

From a technical point of view, almost all industrial materials made from fossil resources could be substituted by their biobased counterparts. However, the cost of biobased production in many cases exceeds the cost of petrochemical production. Also, new products must be proven to perform at least as well as the petrochemical equivalent they are substituting and need to have a lower environmental impact.

The recent volatility of oil prices, the consumer demand for environmentally friendly products, population growth, and the climate impact of using non-renewable resources have now opened new windows of opportunity for biobased chemicals and polymers.

Industry is increasingly viewing chemical and polymer production from renewable resources as an attractive area for investment. Biobased products can ​meet all forms of circular thinking from reuse to closed and open loop recycling. It can be viewed as an enabler for an optimised circular economy beyond the current largely linear, fossil based economy.