Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 5.7
Common Products from Biomass
Biomass Resource
Uses
Corn
Solvents, pharmaceuticals, adhesives, starch, resins, binders, polymers,
cleaners, ethanol
Vegetable oils
Surfactants in soaps and detergents, pharmaceuticals (inactive ingredients),
inks, paints, resins, cosmetics, fatty acids, lubricants, biodiesel
Wood
Paper, building materials, cellulose for fibers and polymers, resins, binders,
adhesives, coatings, paints, ins, fatty acids, road and roofing pitch
Source:
USDOE,
Industrial Bioproducts: Today and Tomorrow
, U.S. Department of Energy,
Washington, DC, 2004.
BIOMASS FOR BIOPRODUCTS
*
Bioproducts are industrial and consumer goods manufactured wholly or in part from
renewable biomass (plant-based resources). Today's industrial bioproducts are amaz-
ingly diverse, ranging from solvents and paints to pharmaceuticals, soaps, cosmet-
ics, and building materials (see Table 5.7). Industrial bioproducts are integral to our
way of life—few sectors of the economy do not rely in some way or another on
products made from biomass. Corn, wood, soybeans, and plant oils are the primary
resources used to create this remarkable diversity of industrial and consumer goods.
In some cases, it is not readily apparent that a product is derived in part from bio-
mass. Biomass components are often combined with other materials such as petro-
chemicals and minerals to manufacture the final product. Soybean oil, for example,
is blended with other components to produce paints, toiletries, solvents, inks, and
pharmaceuticals. Some products, such as starch adhesives, are derived entirely from
biomass. The many derivatives of corn illustrate the diversity of products that can be
obtained from a single biomass resource (see
Figure 5.7
). Besides being an important
source of food and feed, corn serves as a feedstock for ethanol and sorbitol (a sweet-
ish, crystalline alcohol), industrial starches and sweeteners, citric and lactic acid, and
many other products. Biomass, which is comprised of carbohydrates, can be used to
produce some of the products that are commonly manufactured from petroleum and
natural gas, or hydrocarbons. Both resources contain the essential elements of car-
bon and hydrogen. In some cases, both resources have captured a portion of market
c
lasses
oF
B
ioproducts
The thousands of different industrial bioproducts produced today can be categorized
into five major areas:
*
Adapted from USDOE,
Industrial Bioproducts: Today and Tomorrow
, U.S. Department of Energy,
Washington, DC, 2004.
