Concepts on the contribution of chemistry to a sustainable development. Renewable raw materials

Abstract

The principles of the Rio Conference (1992) and Agenda 21 address the pressing problems of today and also aim at preparing the world for the challenges of this century. The conservation and management of resources for development are the main foci of interest, to which chemistry will have to make a considerable contribution. Since base chemicals are produced in large quantities and important product lines are synthesized from them, their resource-saving production is especially important for a sustainable development. New processes based on renewable feedstocks are significant here. Most products that are obtained from renewable raw materials may, at present, not be able to compete with the products of the petrochemical industry, but this will change as oil becomes scarcer and oil prices rise. The design of chemical products should make sustainable processing and recycling possible, and should prevent their bioaccumulation. Methods and criteria to assess their contribution to a sustainable development are necessary. The time necessary to introduce the new more sustainable processes and products has to be diminished by linking their development with operational innovation management and with efficient environmental-political control procedures.

Sustainable Chemical Technologies – Development Trends and Tools

“…Among the reviews published recently are those dealing with green chemistry [7], renewable raw materials [8], C 1 chemistry and methane [9,10], clean fuels [11], syngas [12], trends in catalysis [13,14], nanotechnology [15], miniaturization [16], separation [17], innovations for sustainability [18,19], and others. Certain general and detailed opinions were also expressed in previous papers by the author [1-3, 20, 21].…”

Fette und Öle als nachwachsende Rohstoffe in der Chemie

“…[2] Chemiker haben hierzu einen bedeutenden Beitrag zu leisten. [3,4] Pflanzliche und tierische Öle und Fette sind sowohl historisch als auch gegenwärtig die wichtigsten nachwachsenden Rohstoffe der chemischen Industrie. Die klassischen und gut etablierten oleochemischen Reaktionen finden vorzugsweise an den Esterfunktionen der Triglyceride statt, [5] wie die Hydrolyse zu den freien Fettsäuren und Glycerin [6] oder die Umesterung zu Fettsäuremethylestern.…”

Biocatalysis for biomass valorization

“…However, let us base our discussion on a broader view of biomass: a renewable resource especially if it is not exploited yet and/or treated as a waste material. Metzger and Eissen pointed out that rapeseed oil has the lowest gross energy requirement (GER) of all the base chemicals [6]. (Base chemicals are chemicals produced > million ton per year worldwide and are starting materials for a large number of other products).…”

“…The review also points out that "approximately 51% of the renewable raw materials used at present in Germany are fats and oils, carbohydrates are included in the other 6%!" [6]. Apart from biodiesel, obtaining biosurfactants, engineered lipids (for nutritional purposes) and new materials from fats/oils are all industrial level processes.…”