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What are biobased chemicals?

A wide range of chemicals are currently produced from biomass. They range from niche specialty products such as furfurals and xylose, to large scale commodity products such as ethanol, succinic acid and lactic acid. Many biobased chemicals may act as building blocks for other materials and may be termed ‘chemical building blocks’ or ‘platform chemicals’. For example ethanol can be dehydrated to ethylene and used in the production of polyethylene plastics, it can be oxidised to produce ethylene oxide or be used in the production of ethylene glycol.

The large range of chemicals which can potentially be derived from biomass is shown in the diagram below. However, the degree of actual production will vary in time depending upon the availability of particular feedstocks, market demand and the technical and economic maturity of different technologies.

Overview of chemicals that can be obtained from major biomass constituents by
established or possible biotechnological processes (Source: Brew project)

The developing state of the market means that it is difficult to ascertain either the market value or the quantity of biobased chemicals currently produced. Nevertheless, new investment announcements occur almost weekly, and the sector has strong potential for future growth. One report expects the biobased chemicals market (including biopolymers) to grow to $12.2 billion by 2021, accounting for 11.5 million tonnes of biobased chemical production at the end of the decade. In the longer term, under favourable market conditions, bulk chemicals may make up 113 Mt or 38% of the market, and under less favourable conditions, up 26 Mt or 17.5% of the market.

What are the advantages of biobased chemicals?

Biobased chemicals contain renewable carbon. That means that the carbon contained within them has recently been taken from the atmosphere, so when this carbon is returned to the atmosphere at the end of the life-cycle of the chemical product, it does not add to the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

Despite their early stage of development, biobased chemicals can have significant energy savings compared to fossil fuel counterparts. For example, succinic acid has 30% savings, ethyl lactide 35% savings and ethylene 50% savings over their fossil-fuel alternatives. In many cases, there may be significant further scope for improvement in both the environmental and economic profile of these materials as these technologies undergo innovation - particularly if waste or residue materials are used and process conversion is made more efficient.

Some biobased chemicals are chemically identical to those derived from fossil oil, meaning that they can be a direct substitute for these materials in existing processes. These include ethylene, adipic acid, acetic acid, butanol and isoprene. In other cases, biobased chemicals may provide new functionalities, substituting indirectly for fossil derived chemicals. For example polylactic acid can substitute for some polyethylene terephthalate applications, and polyhydroxyalkanoates can substitute for some high-density polyethylene applications. In some cases, biobased chemicals may be unique to biomass, for example furfural, xylose and alginates. These unique chemicals can find uses in a wide range of different applications.

What is the role of biotechnology?

Biotechnology provides a crucial tool in the development of biobased chemicals, particularly in the improvement of processing steps and may offer some routes for developing competitive industrial biotechnology to produce “high volume and low price” products of this kind.

Biotechnology can help develop better crops for chemicals production through either improving crop genomes to enhance desirable characteristics such as high cellulose content, or by influencing the genetic modification of crops to enable them to naturally produce some biobased chemicals, for example polyhydroxyalkanoates.

Biotechnology can also help use other sources of biomass, such as waste and residues, for the production of chemicals. This would help overcome any fears surrounding the use of food for industrial materials. New enzymes and microorganisms, developed through industrial biotechnology, can play a crucial role in maximising the efficiency of biomass breakdown and sugar release.

Industrial biotechnology can also significantly improve the environmental and economic performance of chemicals production. Biotechnology routes can replace several chemical production steps. This can lead to lower materials inputs, fewer by-products and wastes and lower energy use.

For example, the traditional, chemical route for vitamin B2 manufacturing starts with glucose and is followed by six sequential chemical steps. This route has mostly been replaced by a fermentation-based route using yeast and fungi in a single integrated process, reducing costs by 40% and drastically reducing wastes and pollutants. Similarly, the production of lactic acid through anaerobic fermentation only forms one product, and the production of ethanol from syngas via anaerobic fermentation can significantly reduce energy costs while accelerating the chemical transformation with catalysts. Industrial biotechnology can also help access products not previously thought to be economic, for example biobased butanol production, by increasing the yields of the specific chemical required.

More information on

Biochemicals on Biobasics
Biochemicals on Wikipedia