An Economic Impact Analysis of the US Biobased Products Industry

Daystar, Jesse; Handfield, Robert; Golden, Jay S.; McConnell, Eric; Pascual-González, Janire

doi:10.1089/ind.2021.29263.jda

Cited by 11 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Bioproducts and bioenergy offer the potential to replace fossil fuel-based products and reduce environmental impacts and carbon emissions . Additionally, bioproducts contribute substantially to the U.S economy; the biobased products industry (excluding biofuels) added $459 billion to the U.S. economy and employed 4.65 million people in 2016 . The ethanol biofuel industry is another major sector in the bioeconomy, as it produces 10% of motor fuel in the U.S …”

Section: Biorefineriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1 Additionally, bioproducts contribute substantially to the U.S economy; the biobased products industry (excluding biofuels) added $459 billion to the U.S. economy and employed 4.65 million people in 2016. 3 The ethanol biofuel industry is another major sector in the bioeconomy, as it produces 10% of motor fuel in the U.S. 4 For a transition to a more sustainable society and to enhance innovative solutions, it is necessary to develop a skilled and diverse workforce 5,6 and prepare the next generation of bioeconomy and STEM professionals. The American Chemical Society and other professional organizations emphasize the importance of adopting green chemistry principles (e.g., using renewable feedstocks, reducing wasteful inputs and outputs, and applying life cycle thinking) in research and industry settings as well as promoting teachers' and students' understanding of these topics to strengthen the bioeconomy and create a more sustainable future.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Modeling a Biorefinery: Converting Pineapple Waste to Bioproducts and Biofuel

et al. 2021

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Many students may not be aware that renewable biological materials can be converted into multiple bioproducts and biofuels using a biorefinery process, a more sustainable alternative to conventional crude oil refineries. By using waste from pineapple, a plant material that most students are familiar with, a biorefinery can be modeled to demonstrate the benefits of a circular bioeconomy. Pineapple waste consists of the peel, core, and leaves that are often discarded after the fruit is processed for consumption. These “leftovers” or “residues” are rich sources of sugars and lignocellulosic biomass, which can be converted to value-added bioproducts and biofuel. In this article, the development and implementation of a high school laboratory activity that simulates a pineapple biorefinery is described. It was field tested with an Environmental Science class, in which students converted pineapple leaves into paper, and they fermented the sugars from the core and peel into bioethanol for fuel. Students investigated how different process variables influenced the tensile strength of their paper and the quantity of bioethanol produced. This lab introduces students to the potential of a circular bioeconomy and challenges them to integrate prior chemistry and biology knowledge to generate solutions to real-world sustainability problems. It can be used in chemistry classes to demonstrate stoichiometry, chemical reaction yield, chemical bonds, and the effect of reactant concentration on the rate of product formation.

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Section: Biorefineriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling a Biorefinery: Converting Pineapple Waste to Bioproducts and Biofuel

et al. 2021

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“…1,2 According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in 2016, U.S. biobased products were estimated to displace approximately 9.4 million barrels of oil and reduce as much as 12.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (CO 2 equivalents). 3 Biobased products include bioplastics and biochemicals. Biochemicals are estimated to account for only 4 wt % of the chemicals manufactured in the U.S. 3 Therefore, tremendous growth in market share for biochemicals is possible.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3 Biobased products include bioplastics and biochemicals. Biochemicals are estimated to account for only 4 wt % of the chemicals manufactured in the U.S. 3 Therefore, tremendous growth in market share for biochemicals is possible. The replacement of conventional chemicals with biochemicals has the potential to reduce GHG emissions and to promote a domestic biomass industry while reducing dependence on fossil resources.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The development of biomass-derived products offers a promising opportunity to improve the overall sustainability of the United States (U.S.) industry and mitigate climate change. , According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in 2016, U.S. biobased products were estimated to displace approximately 9.4 million barrels of oil and reduce as much as 12.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (CO 2 equivalents) . Biobased products include bioplastics and biochemicals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life-Cycle Assessment of Biochemicals with Clear Near-Term Market Potential

Liang

Gracida-Alvarez

Hawkins

et al. 2023

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

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The urgent need for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions to mitigate climate change calls for accelerated biorefinery development and biochemical deployment to the market as structural or functional replacements for chemicals produced from fossil-derived feedstocks. This study evaluated the energy and environmental impacts of 15 biochemicals with clear near-term market potential and their fossil-based counterparts, when applicable, on a cradle-to-gate basis. Three of these chemicals are produced exclusively from biomass; eight are predominantly produced from fossil-derived feedstocks; and four are predominantly produced from biomass. For the 12 cases that can be produced from either feedstock, eight exhibited fossil energy consumption and GHG emission reductions when produced from biomass instead of fossil-derived feedstocks between 41%−85% and 35%−350%, respectively. Water consumption results were mixed because several of the biobased pathways consumed more water. Annually, replacing the predominantly fossil-fuel-based chemicals with biobased alternatives could avoid 120 MMT CO 2 e emissions and save 1,500 PJ of fossil energy. The potential of these chemicals as coproducts in integrated biorefineries was analyzed in terms of market, economics, and environmental effects with an emphasis on GHG emissions. Adipic acid, succinic acid, acrylic acid, propylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,3-butadiene, furfural, and fatty alcohol are promising coproduct candidates based on their low life-cycle GHG emissions.

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