Using waste biomass for the sustainable production of industrial chemicals
(PHYSorg.com Biology)

Each year more than half a billion tons of oil-more than an eighth of the total global oil consumption-are used to produce chemicals and plastics. The demand for oil leaves the petrochemical industry, with a market value slated to exceed US$758 Billion by 2022, critically exposed to oil price fluctuations and the uncertainty of dependence on a finite fossil resource. Researchers and chemical engineers around the world have been trying to find ways to use alternative raw materials such as agricultural waste or `biomass` to replace petroleum in the production of common industrial chemicals as a step toward a more sustainable chemical industry.