Green factories: Synthetic plant products for industry

Abstract

The realization that we can no longer take reserves of fossil fuels for granted, allied to issues of industrial sustainability, pollution and climate change has reawakened an interest in increasing our use of plants as a source of both chemicals and materials. Whereas plant-derived biomass, fermentable sugars and oils are now well recognized as sources of energy and liquid fuels, the use of green feedstocks for large-scale platform and fine chemical production is increasingly high on the agenda of industries wanting to reduce their environmental footprint.