Green building blocks for bio‐based plastics

Abstract

In this paper we investigate the possible routes to produce the most commonly used polymers from biomass. This includes vinyl polymers, polyesters, polyamides, polyurethanes, and synthetic rubbers. Also the most promising newly developed polymers that can be produced from biomass are investigated. Approximately 80% by weight of all chemicals produced by the petrochemical industry are applied in polymer materials. Producing these materials from biomass instead of fossil resources thus signifi cantly contributes to the development of the bio-based economy. We show that it is technically possible to produce all major bioplastics from biomass. In many cases even more than one process can be envisioned. Essential chemical building blocks involved in the bio-based production routes are presented, including state of the art production routes and production volumes. If we assume that processing costs for bio-based processes will lower with further development of the bio-based technologies, feedstock costs will start to weigh more heavily on the total production costs in the future. In that respect effi cient use of biomass will become more important. Building blocks with acid-and alcohol functionalities, such as lactic acid and succinic acid, can be well produced from biomass like sugars, since the oxygen atoms needed for these building blocks are already present in the biomass. Building blocks that can be applied in many polymer groups due to their chemical structure are promising and are expected to undergo substantial growth. We show that there are various developments on these versatile building blocks.

Sucrose Is a Promising Feedstock for the Synthesis of the Platform Chemical Hydroxymethylfurfural

“…The production of platform chemicals from renewable biomass is experiencing enormous interest as a result of (1) the latest developments in research, and (2) government funding for sustainable production processes and CO 2 reductions [1,2]. The platform chemical hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) has an outstanding position among bio-based platform chemicals because it has two different functional groups, and therefore offers a wide range of applications [3].…”

“…The capital cost of processes based on diluted sulfuric acid as a catalyst is, therefore, relatively low [9]. The advantages of HMF synthesis in aqueous media are as follows: (1) water is a cheap and environmentally friendly solvent; (2) the process is simple and easy to scale up; (3) water dissolves polar sugars and HMF in high concentrations; and (4) the water elimination of fructose to form HMF is supported by the high level of the ionic product in hot compressed water and the higher thermodynamic stability of double bonds in these conditions [10,11]. Unfortunately, HMF rehydrates in a water-based medium under acidic conditions to form the consecutive products levulinic acid and formic acid.…”

Going greener: Synthesis of fully biobased unsaturated polyesters for styrene crosslinked resins with enhanced thermomechanical properties

“…However, the increasing environmental concerns, as well as the need to develop sustainable alternatives to fossil based monomers, have led to a remarkable interest in the development of biobased UPRs (BioUPRs). In the market, there are already a considerable number of available renewable monomers for the synthesis of UPs and UPRs [6][7][8] and, in the last years, some authors have focused their work on the development of UPRs partially based on these raw materials [4,[9][10][11]. The work of Gonçalves et al [4] reports the preparation of UPRs for microstereo-thermal-lithography (μSTL), with a biobased content between 24 and 47 wt%.…”

Sugar beet pulp as a carrier for Lactobacillus paracasei in lactic acid fermentation of agro-industrial waste

“…(Sin et al, 2012). On a commercial scale, LA is currently produced by LA fermentation of sugar-and starch-rich edible crops such as sugar beet, sugar cane, corn and cassava (Harmsen et al, 2014). However, in order to avoid any collision in production of biobased products with food and feed production, the use of alternative feedstocks, such as kitchen garbage (Ačanski et al, 2014), brewer's spent grain (Pejin et al, 2015), corncob molasses (Wang et al, 2010) and other by-products and waste streams has been comprehensively assessed in recent years.…”