Bioproducts

Bioproducts or Bio-based Products are materials, chemicals and energy derived from renewable biological resources.[1][2][3]

Contents

Bioresources

Biological resources include agriculture, forestry, and biologically-derived waste, and there are many other renewable bioresource examples. One of the scientific terms used to denote renewable bioresources is lignocellulose. Lignocellulosic tissues are biologically-derived natural resources containing some of the main constituents of the natural world. 1) Holocellulose is the carbohydrate fraction of lignocellulose that includes cellulose, a common building block made of sugar (glucose) that is the most abundant biopolymer, as well as hemicellulose. 2) Lignin is the second most abundant biopolymer. Cellulose and lignin are two of the primary natural polymers used by plants to store energy as well as to give strength, as is the case in woody plant tissues. Other energy storage chemicals in plants include oils, waxes, fats, etc., and because these other plant compounds have distinct properties, they offer potential for a host of different bioproducts [4][5]

Bioproducts

Conventional Bioproducts and Emerging Bioproducts are two broad categories used to categorize bioproducts. Examples of conventional bio-based products include building materials, pulp and paper, and forest products. Examples of emerging bioproducts or biobased products include biofuels, bioenergy, starch-based and cellulose-based ethanol, bio-based adhesives, biochemicals, biodegradable plastics, etc.[6][7] Emerging bioproducts are active subjects of research and development, and these efforts have developed significantly since the turn of the 20/21st century, in part driven by the price of traditional petroleum-based products, by the environmental impact of petroleum use, and by an interest in many countries to become independent from foreign sources of oil. Bioproducts derived from bioresources can replace much of the fuels, chemicals, plastics etc. that are currently derived from petroleum [8]

See also

Environment portal
Ecology portal
Earth sciences portal
Biology portal
Sustainable development portal

References

  1. ^ Singh, S.P., Ekanem, E., Wakefield, T. Jr., and Comer S. (2003) “Emerging importance of bio-based products and bio-energy in the U.S. economy: information dissemination and training of students.” International Food and Agribusiness Management Review Vol. 5(3)
  2. ^ Biomass Research and Development Initiative, 2006: Vision for Bioenergy and BioProducts in the United States – Bioeconomy for a Sustainable Future 2006 http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/pdfs/final_2006_vision.pdf
  3. ^ National Research Council, 2000. Bio-based industrial products: priorities for research and commercialization. National Academy Press, Washington DC
  4. ^ Bowyer, J.L., Ramaswamy, S., 2005: “Redefining undergraduate education for the 21st Century: Minnesota moves aggressively to strengthen program” Forest Products Journal, July-Aug 2005, 55 (7-8): 4-10)
  5. ^ Ramaswamy, S., Tschirner, U., Chen, Y., 2007: “Transforming Academic Curricula: Pulp and Paper to Biobased Products - Providing Education and Research Training for the Conventional and Emerging Biobased Products Industry and the Bioeconomy” ACS Symposium Series Chapter 4, Section 1, Materials, Chemicals and Energy from Forest Biomass Ed. by Argyropoulos.
  6. ^ Bowyer, J.L., Ramaswamy, S., 2005: “Redefining undergraduate education for the 21st Century: Minnesota moves aggressively to strengthen program” Forest Products Journal, July-Aug 2005, 55 (7-8): 4-10)
  7. ^ Ramaswamy, S., Tschirner, U., Chen, Y., 2007: “Transforming Academic Curricula: Pulp and Paper to Biobased Products - Providing Education and Research Training for the Conventional and Emerging Biobased Products Industry and the Bioeconomy” ACS Symposium Series Chapter 4, Section 1, Materials, Chemicals and Energy from Forest Biomass Ed. by Argyropoulos.
  8. ^ http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_bioproducts.html

Further reading

External links