Renewable Chemicals: Boon or Bane? discusses the potential benefits and drawbacks of producing chemicals from renewable biomass rather than non-renewable petrochemicals. Currently most chemicals are derived from petroleum, but biomass is a renewable alternative. Proponents argue this can reduce environmental impacts and reliance on depleting resources. However, critics argue it could drive up food prices or increase pressure on land and water if food crops are used. The market for renewable chemicals is growing but still relatively small compared to petrochemicals.

1. Renewable Chemicals: Boon or Bane?
By
Yakindra Prasad Timilsena

2. Problem statement
• Currently around 90% of all organic chemicals
synthesized from mineral oil or petrochemicals (IFEU
Institut, Heidelberg)
• Increase in prices of mineral oils
• Mineral oils- non renewable resources
• Biomass easily and abundantly available locally
• the growing ability of certain microorganisms to yield
higher productivity of the desired chemicals

3. Introduction
• Application of industrial biotechnology for the
production of chemicals (also called green chemicals) by
the use of biomass as a renewable feedstock (i.e.
replacing petrochemical feedstocks)- an emerging
technology
• Area with extensive R&D potential for the development
of a renewable feedstock based technology
• Engineered microorganisms are being used to synthesize
chemicals and polymers that are used in our everyday
lives to produce everyday products

4. Major driving force
• Increased consumer consciousness and demand of
biobased products
• Governmental support for 'green' products that
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Renewable chemicals also reduce dependence
on finite non-renewable petroleum resources
• biobased products industry accounts for over
5,700 direct jobs, and is likely responsible for over
40,000 jobs in the united states only.

5. Why Renewable chemicals
• Environmentally benign (Cleaner environment)
- greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 1.0 -2.5
billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030 through the
development and implementation of biobased products
and other industrial biotechnologies (WWF, 2009).
- The manufacturing process of bioplastic from
renewable feedstock lowers GHG by 50 per cent,
compared to the manufacturing process of Nylon 6
from non-renewable feedstock.

6. Why Renewable chemicals
• Sustainable (Better Business)
- Depletion of fossil fuel is inevitable
• Alternative
- Replacement of petrochemicals- reduces dependency
- In the US, 8.4 million barrels petroleum per day are used to
1
produce chemicals and plastics (Bio, 2010)
• Cheap raw material (Better lives)
- Industrial, household and municipal waste materials utilized
- also make municipal waste more manageable

7. Why Renewable chemicals
• Reliable
• Low cost
• Domestic raw
materials
• Abundant raw
materials
• 1.3 billion tons of biomass potential in US*
• Enough for 165 billion gallons of biofuels (40 x current)
• Could theoretically meet 100% of current US gasoline demand of 140 billion
gallons per year
*U.S. Department of Energy

8. Why Renewable chemicals
Environmental Profile
• Bioplastics – Could cut US petroleum consumption by
145 million barrels/year
• Compostable: could cut plastics in waste stream by 80%
• Cellulosic Ethanol – Could cut US GHG emissions 22%
by 2050
• Enzyme bleaching - (paper, textiles) textiles)*
– Reduces chlorine use by 10-15%
– Cuts energy use 40%
– Cuts water use 18%
•

9. Bio-based Materials
Starch Enzymatic
process Bioenergy
Ferment Meta
Bio
able bolic
Polymers
sugar proc
Pretreatment esses
Cellulose Platform
Waste process chemicals
New
biomaterials

10. Renewable (Bio-based) Chemicals

11. Types
• Bulk chemicals
• Polymers
• Specialty and fine chemicals
• Consumer chemicals

12. Examples of some bulk platform chemicals
Number of Platform chemicals
Carbon
C2 ethanol, acetic acid
C3 lactic acid, glycerol, 3-hydroxypropionic acid,
1,3-propanediol, acrylic acid
C4 succinic acid, fumaric acid, aspartic acid, 1-
butanol, 1,4-butanediol
C5 Xylose, arabinose, xylitol, arabinitol, levulinic
acid, furfural
C6 Sucrose, glucose, sorbitol, 5-
hydroxymethylfurfural, adipic acid

13. Examples of some polymers
• Starch polymers
• Polylactic acid (PLA)
• Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)
• polytrimethyleneterephthalate (PTT)
• Polyurethanes (PURs)
• Cellulosic polymers (cellophane and cellulose
acetate )

14. Examples of some Specialty and fine
chemicals
• Vitamins
• Pharma intermediates
• Flavors and fragrances
• Industrial cleaners
• Coatings
• Water and effluent treatments
• Agrochemicals
• Fibers
• Dyes and pigments
• Adhesives and sealants

15. Top 15 value-added renewable chemicals
• C3 - glycerol, 3-hydroxypropionic acid
• C4 - succinic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid,
aspartic acid, 3-hydroxybutyrolactone
• C5 - glutamic acid, itaconic acid, levulinic acid,
xylitol, xylonic acid
• C6 - 2,5 furan dicarboxylic acid, glucaric acid,
sorbitol
Source: DOE report

16. Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG)
• Soaps, cleaning agents and detergents
• Cosmetics
• Personal care
• Paints, varnishes and inks

17. Biopolymer
• The polymer market is currently the strongest area for
renewable chemicals. Synthetic bio-based polymers
which are biodegradable (polylactic acid, polyhydroxy
alkanoate) serve niche markets such as food packaging.
• Bio-plastics- carbon neutral as the carbon dioxide is
absorbed while growing the sugarcane to offset the
carbon released during the production process and during
the final decomposition process.
• Production typically involves processes such as
fermentation, dehydration and polymerization.

18. Platform chemicals
• These building block chemicals have a high
transformation potential into new families of useful
molecules.
• Major investments made in the development of processes
to produce renewable intermediates like propylene glycol,
succinic acid, 3-hydroxypropionic acid, and ethylene.

19. Cellulosic Biomass: The New Crude Oil
Corn stover
Sugar Cane bagasse
Wood chips

20. Currently most important products
• Bioethanol
• Amino Acids
• Vitamins (e.g. Vitamin C)
• Citric Acid
• Enzymes (e.g. detergents, food, feed)
• Sweeteners (e.g. Aspartame, sugar-alcohols)
• Lactic Acid
Biomaterials and biopolymers from renewable
chemicals are a market reality and have consumer
demand, more so now than ever before.

21. Top 30 biomass platform chemicals

22. Applications of Starch

23. Specialty Chemicals
Foaming agents Emulsifiers Dispersants

24. Market
• The global renewable chemicals market is estimated to
reach US$ 67.13 billion in 2015 from about US$ 38.67
billion in 2010 (Markets & Markets, 2010).
• Compound annual growth rate (CAGR)-14.8%
• The alcohols segment holds the largest market share
• The polymers segment is expected to have the highest
growth rate due to the increasing applications of bio-
polymers in the manufacture of biodegradable and
compostable plastics and in consumer goods such as cell
phones and laptops.

25. Market
• Renewable chemicals market has been increasing
• Butanediol (BDO) from renewable feedstocks –
estimated market to be worth $4 billion (Genomatica) .
• Replacement of phosphate in detergents by biobased
chemicals worth market value of $9 billion (Rivertop).
• Petroleum-derived chemicals are used in everything
from the plastic in cell phones to detergent to tennis
balls to car parts.

26. Market
• Polylactic acid (PLA) via fermentation from corn starch
• Polymer to be used for carpets, apparel, high-performance
resins
• Marketed under brand name Ingeo (Cargill), Sorona
(DuPont), Mirel (Metabolix)
• Rapidly growing market share in fabrics and packaging
• butanediol (BDO), a chemical used in spandex, automotive
plastics and running shoes.
• polyester, nylon, and amino acids can also be produced from
renewable raw materials

27. Market
• The platform biorenewable chemicals (PBC)
glycerin and lactic acid make up the bulk of
biorenewable chemicals being sold in 2010,
accounting for 79.2% of the market.

28. World Biobased Market Penetration
2010-2025
Chemical Sector 2010 2025
Commodity Chemicals 1-2 percent 6-10 percent
Specialty Chemicals 20-25 percent 45-50 percent
Fine Chemicals 20-25 percent 45-50 percent
Polymers 5-10 percent 10-20 percent
Source: USDA, U.S. Biobased Products Market Potential and Projections Through 2025

29. Application of Renewable chemicals
• Industrial, transportation, textiles, food safety,
environment, communication, housing, recreation, health
and hygiene and other applications.

30. Scenario of biomass for chemical products
Fats and oil
Carbohydrates
Others (a.o. proteins)
10% of the feedstock in the chemical industry (US and Germany, 2000)

31. Cons views
• The strong point against the production of chemicals
from biosources especially food crops is taken as a
serious crime towards humanity. There are already 1
billion people who are forced to go to bed without food
and if food crops are converted to chemicals, it will
definitely increase the number of hungry people
especially in developing and poor countries.

32. Cons views
• "Soybeans and corn are showing up in carpets,
disposable cups, salad bags, candles, lipstick, socks,
surfboards, cooling fluid in utility transformers, and even
the body panels of Deere & Co. harvesting combines”
(Wall Street Journal, 2007).
• One of the main cause of hike in price of food grains is
the use of food grains for bioethanol and renewable
chemical production.

33. Cons views
• "a $3.25 bushel of corn can generate $15 worth of bio-
plastic allowing for much greater profit margins than
would come from turning the corn into food
ingredients or livestock feed.” (Kilman, 2007).
• Use of heather and wheat straw for extraction of
chemicals lead to shortage of fodder to animals

34. Biopolymers

35. Depicts 60,000 plastic bags, used every five
seconds

36. 2,000,000 plastic bottles, used every 5 minutes

37. Illustration by David Simonds

38. Big problems often translate into big
business opportunities
Ventures worldwide are using advanced,
renewable materials to gain competitive edge.
For suppliers and retailers, biomaterials provide a way to
reduce industrial waste & avoid regulatory headaches.

39. Applications for Bioplastics, Biocomposites,
Biopolymers
AUTOMOTIVE Components, Coatings, Interiors

40. Applications for Bioplastics, Biocomposites,
Biopolymers
AGRICULTURE

41. Applications for Bioplastics, Biocomposites,
Biopolymers
EcoBags
FOOD Service & Product Packaging

42. Applications for Bioplastics, Biocomposites,
Biopolymers
100% Ingeo draperies
Body of Sony Walkman

44. Cons views
• The most worrisome is the impacts on the natural
environment. Growing corn to produce ethanol and
other renewable chemicals consumes 200 times more
water than the water used to process corn into
biochemicals (U.S. National Academy of Sciences, 2007).
• Use of food crop in biochemical production will impose
a pressure on the forest to find more arable land for
feeding the growing population

45. Cons views
• “large increases in biofuels production in the United
States and Europe are the main reason behind the steep
rise in global food prices“ (WB Report, 2008)
• Corn is used to feed chickens, cows, and pigs. So higher
corn prices lead to higher prices for chicken, beef, pork,
milk, cheese, etc.
• The grain required to fill a 25 US gallons (95 L) fuel tank
with ethanol will feed one person for a year (Brown, 2006)

46. Cons views
• 800 million people are permanently malnourished,
• the number of livestock on earth has quintupled since
1950.
• Farming crops for chemicals will encompasses mass
starvation and the eradication of tropical forests
• Use of wood based raw material will lead to cutting
down trees for chemicals which enhances the problem of
climate change.

47. Ways Forward
• The use of industrial crops for direct large scale
chemical production beyond traditional products such
as starches, sugars and oils still under development.

48. References
• Bioscience for Business KTN, 2008. A technology
assessment for the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation and
Growth Team (IB-IGT).
• Chemistry Innovations Ltd., 2008
• Elinor L. Scott, Johan P.M. Sanders and Alexander
Steinbüchel . Sustainable Biotechnology 2010, 195-210,
DOI: 10.1007/978-90-481-3295-9_10
• Frost & Sulivan, 2008. Strategic Analysis of the
Worldwide Market for Biorenewable Chemicals

49. References
• http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/11/04/us-dnpgreen-
raises-12-million-idUSTRE5A33MB20091104
• http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/partner/sbi-
energy/products/biorenewable-chemicals-world-market
• Kilman, 2007. Renewable" chemicals for "green" plastics gain
ground
• WWF, 2009. Industrial Biotechnology- More than Green Fuel in
a Dirty Economy? available at-
http://biofuelsandclimate.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/wwf-
biotech.pdf