Beyond petrochemicals: the renewable chemicals industry.

The use of renewable resources has attracted significant attention in recent years for many different reasons. 2] Renewable resources include electricity made from kinetic energy stored in wind, potential energy stored in water, thermal energy stored as heat underground and as solar influx in the form of electromagnetic radiation, and energy stored in chemical bonds in the case of biomass. Although renewable resources have been used for various purposes for centuries, there is currently a significant focus on expanding and optimizing this use in the form of new technologies fit for the 21st century. The use of biomass as a resource has developed rapidly in recent years, and it will become an important contributor to our available resources in the future. Biomass sets itself aside from the other renewable resources, since the energy it contains is stored as chemical bonds. This characteristic allows biomass to be used for several purposes apart from electricity and heat generation, such as the production of liquid fuels and chemicals. Indeed, biomass is the only renewable source of useful carbon atoms. Although biomass is annually renewable, it is still a scarce and limited resource, especially when produced in a sustainable manner, and it is important to use it in the most efficient way. This Essay argues for the production of select chemicals, thereby effectively replacing petroleum, as an efficient use and illustrates some of the current efforts that are made in the chemical industry towards adoption of biomass as a feedstock. Availability of Biomass Resources