Renewable Chemicals: Boon or Bane?

ByYakindra Prasad Timilsena

Problem statement

• Currently around 90% of all organic chemicals

synthesized from mineral oil or petrochemicals (IFEU

Institut, Heidelberg)

• Increase in prices of mineral oils

• Mineral oils- non renewable resources

• Biomass easily and abundantly available locally

• the growing ability of certain microorganisms to yield

higher productivity of the desired chemicals

Introduction

• Application of industrial biotechnology for the

production of chemicals (also called green chemicals) by

the use of biomass as a renewable feedstock (i.e.

replacing petrochemical feedstocks)- an emerging

technology• Area with extensive R&D potential for the development

of a renewable feedstock based technology • Engineered microorganisms are being used to synthesize

chemicals and polymers that are used in our everyday lives to produce everyday products

Major driving force• Increased consumer consciousness and demand of

biobased products• Governmental support for 'green' products that

reduce greenhouse gas emissions. • Renewable chemicals also reduce dependence

on finite non-renewable petroleum resources• biobased products industry accounts for over 5,700

direct jobs, and is likely responsible for over 40,000 jobs in the united states only.

Why Renewable chemicals

• Environmentally benign (Cleaner environment)

- greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 1.0 -2.5 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030 through the

development and implementation of biobased products

and other industrial biotechnologies (WWF, 2009).

- The manufacturing process of bioplastic from

renewable feedstock lowers GHG by 50 per cent,

compared to the manufacturing process of Nylon 6

from non-renewable feedstock.

Why Renewable chemicals

• Sustainable (Better Business)

- Depletion of fossil fuel is inevitable

• Alternative

- Replacement of petrochemicals- reduces dependency

- In the US, 8.4 million barrels petroleum per day1are used to

produce chemicals and plastics (Bio, 2010)

• Cheap raw material (Better lives)

- Industrial, household and municipal waste materials utilized

- also make municipal waste more manageable

Why Renewable chemicals

• Reliable • Low cost • Domestic raw

materials • Abundant raw

materials

• 1.3 billion tons of biomass potential in US* • Enough for 165 billion gallons of biofuels (40 x current) • Could theoretically meet 100% of current US gasoline demand of 140 billion

gallons per year *U.S. Department of Energy

Why Renewable chemicals

Environmental Profile

• Bioplastics – Could cut US petroleum consumption by 145 million barrels/year

• Compostable: could cut plastics in waste stream by 80%• Cellulosic Ethanol – Could cut US GHG emissions 22% by

2050• Enzyme bleaching - (paper, textiles) textiles)*

– Reduces chlorine use by 10-15%

– Cuts energy use 40%

– Cuts water use 18%•

Bio-based Materials

WastePretreatment

process Cellulose

Starch Enzymatic process

Fermentable

sugar

Metabolic processes

Bioenergy

Bio Polymers

Platform chemicals

New biomaterials

Renewable (Bio-based) Chemicals

Types

• Bulk chemicals

• Polymers

• Specialty and fine chemicals

• Consumer chemicals

Examples of some bulk platform chemicalsNumber of

CarbonPlatform chemicals

C2 ethanol, acetic acidC3 lactic acid, glycerol, 3-hydroxypropionic acid,

1,3-propanediol, acrylic acidC4 succinic acid, fumaric acid, aspartic acid, 1-

butanol, 1,4-butanediolC5 Xylose, arabinose, xylitol, arabinitol, levulinic

acid, furfuralC6 Sucrose, glucose, sorbitol, 5-

hydroxymethylfurfural, adipic acid

Examples of some polymers

• Starch polymers• Polylactic acid (PLA)• Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)• polytrimethyleneterephthalate (PTT)• Polyurethanes (PURs)• Cellulosic polymers (cellophane and cellulose

acetate )

Examples of some Specialty and fine chemicals

• Vitamins• Pharma intermediates• Flavors and fragrances• Industrial cleaners• Coatings• Water and effluent treatments• Agrochemicals• Fibers• Dyes and pigments• Adhesives and sealants

Top 15 value-added renewable chemicals

• C3 - glycerol, 3-hydroxypropionic acid• C4 - succinic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid,

aspartic acid, 3-hydroxybutyrolactone• C5 - glutamic acid, itaconic acid, levulinic acid,

xylitol, xylonic acid• C6 - 2,5 furan dicarboxylic acid, glucaric acid,

sorbitol

Source: DOE report

Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG)

• Soaps, cleaning agents and detergents• Cosmetics• Personal care• Paints, varnishes and inks

Biopolymer• The polymer market is currently the strongest area for

renewable chemicals. Synthetic bio-based polymers which are biodegradable (polylactic acid, polyhydroxy alkanoate) serve niche markets such as food packaging.

• Bio-plastics- carbon neutral as the carbon dioxide is absorbed while growing the sugarcane to offset the carbon released during the production process and during the final decomposition process.

• Production typically involves processes such as fermentation, dehydration and polymerization.

Platform chemicals

• These building block chemicals have a high transformation potential into new families of useful molecules.

• Major investments made in the development of processes to produce renewable intermediates like propylene glycol, succinic acid, 3-hydroxypropionic acid, and ethylene.

Cellulosic Biomass: The New Crude Oil

Corn stover

Wood chips

Sugar Cane bagasse

Currently most important products• Bioethanol• Amino Acids• Vitamins (e.g. Vitamin C)• Citric Acid• Enzymes (e.g. detergents, food, feed)• Sweeteners (e.g. Aspartame, sugar-alcohols)• Lactic Acid

Biomaterials and biopolymers from renewable chemicals are a market reality and have consumer demand, more so now than ever before.

Top 30 biomass platform chemicals

Applications of Starch

Specialty Chemicals

Foaming agents Emulsifiers Dispersants

Market• The global renewable chemicals market is estimated to

reach US$ 67.13 billion in 2015 from about US$ 38.67 billion in 2010 (Markets & Markets, 2010).

• Compound annual growth rate (CAGR)-14.8%

• The alcohols segment holds the largest market share

• The polymers segment is expected to have the highest growth rate due to the increasing applications of bio-polymers in the manufacture of biodegradable and compostable plastics and in consumer goods such as cell phones and laptops.

Market

• Renewable chemicals market has been increasing• Butanediol (BDO) from renewable feedstocks –

estimated market to be worth $4 billion (Genomatica) . • Replacement of phosphate in detergents by biobased

chemicals worth market value of $9 billion (Rivertop).• Petroleum-derived chemicals are used in everything

from the plastic in cell phones to detergent to tennis balls to car parts.

Market

• Polylactic acid (PLA) via fermentation from corn starch • Polymer to be used for carpets, apparel, high-performance

resins• Marketed under brand name Ingeo (Cargill), Sorona

(DuPont), Mirel (Metabolix)• Rapidly growing market share in fabrics and packaging• butanediol (BDO), a chemical used in spandex, automotive

plastics and running shoes. • polyester, nylon, and amino acids can also be produced from

renewable raw materials

Market• The platform biorenewable chemicals (PBC)

glycerin and lactic acid make up the bulk of biorenewable chemicals being sold in 2010, accounting for 79.2% of the market.

World Biobased Market Penetration2010-2025

Chemical Sector 2010 2025

Commodity Chemicals 1-2 percent 6-10 percent

Specialty Chemicals 20-25 percent 45-50 percent

Fine Chemicals 20-25 percent 45-50 percent

Polymers 5-10 percent 10-20 percent

Source: USDA, U.S. Biobased Products Market Potential and Projections Through 2025

Application of Renewable chemicals

• Industrial, transportation, textiles, food safety,

environment, communication, housing, recreation, health

and hygiene and other applications.

Scenario of biomass for chemical products

10% of the feedstock in the chemical industry (US and Germany, 2000)

Fats and oil

Carbohydrates

Others (a.o. proteins)

• The strong point against the production of chemicals

from biosources especially food crops is taken as a

serious crime towards humanity. There are already 1

billion people who are forced to go to bed without food

and if food crops are converted to chemicals, it will

definitely increase the number of hungry people

especially in developing and poor countries.

Cons views

• "Soybeans and corn are showing up in carpets,

disposable cups, salad bags, candles, lipstick, socks,

surfboards, cooling fluid in utility transformers, and even

the body panels of Deere & Co. harvesting combines”

(Wall Street Journal, 2007).

• One of the main cause of hike in price of food grains is

the use of food grains for bioethanol and renewable

chemical production.

Cons views

• "a $3.25 bushel of corn can generate $15 worth of bio-

plastic allowing for much greater profit margins than

would come from turning the corn into food

ingredients or livestock feed.” (Kilman, 2007).

• Use of heather and wheat straw for extraction of

chemicals lead to shortage of fodder to animals

Cons views

Biopolymers

Depicts 60,000 plastic bags, used every five seconds

2,000,000 plastic bottles, used every 5 minutes

Illustration by David Simonds

Big problems often translate into big business opportunities

Ventures worldwide are using advanced, renewable materials to gain competitive edge.

For suppliers and retailers, biomaterials provide a way to reduce industrial waste & avoid regulatory headaches.

Applications for Bioplastics, Biocomposites, Biopolymers

AUTOMOTIVE Components, Coatings, Interiors

Applications for Bioplastics, Biocomposites, Biopolymers

AGRICULTURE

Applications for Bioplastics, Biocomposites, Biopolymers

FOOD Service & Product Packaging

EcoBags

Applications for Bioplastics, Biocomposites, Biopolymers

100% Ingeo draperies

Body of Sony Walkman

• The most worrisome is the impacts on the natural

environment. Growing corn to produce ethanol and

other renewable chemicals consumes 200 times more

water than the water used to process corn into

biochemicals (U.S. National Academy of Sciences, 2007).

• Use of food crop in biochemical production will impose a

pressure on the forest to find more arable land for

feeding the growing population

Cons views

• “large increases in biofuels production in the United

States and Europe are the main reason behind the steep

rise in global food prices“ (WB Report, 2008)

• Corn is used to feed chickens, cows, and pigs. So higher

corn prices lead to higher prices for chicken, beef, pork,

milk, cheese, etc.

• The grain required to fill a 25 US gallons (95 L) fuel tank

with ethanol will feed one person for a year (Brown, 2006)

Cons views

• 800 million people are permanently malnourished,

• the number of livestock on earth has quintupled since

1950.

• Farming crops for chemicals will encompasses mass

starvation and the eradication of tropical forests

• Use of wood based raw material will lead to cutting

down trees for chemicals which enhances the problem of

climate change.

Cons views

• The use of industrial crops for direct large scale

chemical production beyond traditional products such

as starches, sugars and oils still under development.

Ways Forward

• Bioscience for Business KTN, 2008. A technology

assessment for the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation and

Growth Team (IB-IGT).

• Chemistry Innovations Ltd., 2008

• Elinor L. Scott, Johan P.M. Sanders and Alexander

Steinbüchel . Sustainable Biotechnology 2010, 195-210,

DOI: 10.1007/978-90-481-3295-9_10

• Frost & Sulivan, 2008. Strategic Analysis of the

Worldwide Market for Biorenewable Chemicals

References

• http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/11/04/us-dnpgreen-raise

s-12-million-idUSTRE5A33MB20091104

• http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/partner/sbi-energ

y/products/biorenewable-chemicals-world-market

• Kilman, 2007. Renewable" chemicals for "green" plastics gain

ground

• WWF, 2009. Industrial Biotechnology- More than Green Fuel in a

Dirty Economy? available at-

http://biofuelsandclimate.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/wwf-bi

otech.pdf

References