102 Introduction to Renewable Biomaterials
3.6 Summary
- Economic growth results in the rapid depletion of easily recoverable fossil resources
that power the growth of the economy. Resources of the future will inevitably be less
efficient than those we are used to today. Economies and societies should prepare for
this change.
- Both non-conventional fossil resources and renewable resources have lower
energy return on investment than currently used energy sources. Non-conventional
resources are more likely to result in serious aggravation of our current environmental
problems especially in the areas of CO 2 emissions and water shortage.
- Biomass is a form of solar energy that has been captured and stored in a form of
chemical molecules. Biomass shows the potential of being a sustainable, renewable
source of energy and carbon for low carbon economies.
- There are many compounds that can be produced from biomass such as fuels,
platform chemicals, biopolymers and others. Additionally biomass and its products
can be stored and transported to various locations what gives biomass-derived fuels
advantages over other renewable energy sources.
- Biomass conversion methods include thermochemical and biochemical. Thermo-
chemical conversion methods utilise high temperature and pressure to transform
biomass into heat and power as well as liquid and gaseous chemicals that could be
used as fuels or chemical building blocks. Biochemical conversion methods rely
on the conversion of biomass components by anaerobic microorganisms into high
energy metabolites that can be used as fuels or chemicals.
- Thermochemical conversion processes include combustion, gasification and pyrol-
ysis. Combustion releases entire chemical energy stored in biomass, whereas
gasification and pyrolysis release only a part of the initial energy of the molecule
and maintain most of it in high energy intermediates that could be used as fuels or
chemicals.
- Biochemical conversion processes include mostly anaerobic metabolisms. Anaerobic
metabolisms such as ethanol, ABE, hydrogen fermentations and anaerobic digestion
result in partial oxidation of biomass components and formation of high-energy inter-
mediates.
- Bioenergy and biomaterial production processes are strongly interconnected with
other aspects such as energy, security, environment, economy and social impacts need
to be considered simultaneously. This results in a need for unprecedented scrutiny of
these technologies if they are to deliver truly sustainable future.
- The most straightforward method to promote sustainable development including
bioeconomy could be removal of subsidies for fossil fuels worldwide and taxation of
non-renewable carbon resources proportionally to the environmental damage done
by utilisation of such resources.
3.7 Key References
Murphy [7].
IPCC [20].
Fargioneet al. [44].
