No abstract

Crude oil is the most important raw material for the chemical industry. Due to the continually rising price of crude oil, alternative carbon sources are becoming increasingly important. Biomass is basically the only available renewable carbon source. Because the chemical composition of biomass differs from fossil raw materials, the raw‐material change also offers many chances for new product properties and applications. At the same time, the chemical processes have to be redesigned if the feedstock changes to biomass. Here, the effects of a raw‐material change are examined on a rather generic level. The study is based on exergy balances and indicates that it is exergetically advisable to reconsider the previously established system of platform and basic chemicals. In general, exergy losses can be minimized if the synthesis pathways leading to the final products are adapted to the chemical structure of biomass.

No abstract

Abstract:The vast majority of today's chemical products are based on crude oil. An attractive and sustainable alternative feedstock is biomass. Since crude oil and biomass differ in various properties, new synthesis pathways and processes have to be developed. In order to prioritize limited resources for research and development (R & D), their economic potential must be estimated in the early stages of development. A suitable measure for an estimation of the economic potential is based on exergy balances. Different structures of synthesis pathways characterised by the chemical exergy of the main components are evaluated. Based on a detailed evaluation of the underlying processes, general recommendations for future bio-based synthesis pathways are derived.Keywords: biomass; bio-based products; exergy analysis; synthesis pathways

No abstract