Perspectives on Chemicals from Renewable Resources - Sustainable Biotechnology: Sources of Renewable Energy - page 196

1 Introduction
Faced with increasing global demand for raw materials to meet the needs of
transportation fuels, energy and chemical production coupled with depleting fossil
reserves, fluctuating oil prices and ecological impact associated with CO 2 emis-
sions, there has been heightened awareness for the need to utilise alternative and
sustainable resources and production methods.
The production of chemicals and materials from renewable resources is not an
area that is unfamiliar to industry. Prior to the advent of the petrochemical industry
(as we know it today) a number of products have been developed, for example the
production of soaps has been carried out for centuries by the saponification of fats
as well as oils (such as olive oil) using sodium or potassium hydroxide.
1.1 Conversions of Fats and Oils
With the ever increasing use of the combustion engine and advent of the automotive
industry there was a need to develop lubricants, and in some cases this involved the
production of technical products from renewable raw materials. One such product
was Castrol, the abbreviated name from the castor oil (derived from the castor plant)
that was originally used in the early twentieth century. Chemical products from
biological fats and oils (or oleochemicals) still continue to be produced and used:
soybean oil is an additive in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and fatty acid esters are
used for biodiesel production.
Other components of renewable raw materials have also been utilised in industry.
Carbohydrates can be used in fermentation processes as well as chemically trans-
formed to produce chemicals. As well as this the use of lignin, and to a lesser extent
amino acids, have been investigated.
1.2 Carbohydrate Conversions
The fermentation of glucose to ethanol has been widely described as a means to not
only produce beverages but also produce ethanol for transportation fuels. Here first
generation bioethanol uses expensive carbohydrate sources such as starch and sugar
from corn and sugar crops while second generation is focusing developments on
using inexpensive lignocellulose agricultural waste streams and lower investment
costs. A third area is the use of ethanol produced from fermentation as a raw mate-
rial for the chemical industry. Ethanol is dehydrated to produce ethylene, a major
product for the production of a number of chemicals as well as being used as the
monomer for the production of polyethylene (PE). Dow and Crystalsev have entered
a joint venture in Brazil which will produce ethanol from sugarcane for conversion
to ethylene and finally to PE. The integrated production is expected to start in 2011
with a capacity of 350 K tonnes per annum.