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Raw material demand and sourcing options for the development of a bio‐based chemical industry in Europe.
Author(s) -
Sanders Johan PM,
Bos Harriëtte L
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
biofuels, bioproducts and biorefining
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.931
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1932-1031
pISSN - 1932-104X
DOI - 10.1002/bbb.1392
Subject(s) - biorefining , biorefinery , raw material , chemical industry , biomass (ecology) , supply and demand , production (economics) , fossil fuel , chemical products , natural resource economics , environmental science , biochemical engineering , business , waste management , economics , engineering , environmental engineering , chemistry , agronomy , macroeconomics , organic chemistry , biology , microeconomics
In this perspective it is shown that considerable amounts of fossil raw materials in the EU economy can be replaced by biomass by 2030 and 2050. Especially the additional demand from the chemical industry and part of the transportation fuels is investigated. Sufficient supply to accommodate the additional demand is achieved by a number of approaches: (i) by increasing the field yield of the main EU crops, including grassland; and (ii) by the application of biorefining technologies, which will enable efficient and economical use of biomass components for several purposes, for example, energy, animal feed, and chemical production. Especially the application of biorefinery technologies makes a broader crop choice possible, since all components present in the crop can be made to good use. It is concluded that in this way the EU can supply considerable amounts of its energy and raw material base, including the potential demand of the chemical industry, while at the same time decreasing its dependence on importing animal feed components from elsewhere. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd