One of the main challenges facing the chemical industry is the transition to sustainable operations. Industries are taking initiatives to reduce resource intensities or footprints, and by adopting safer materials and processes. Such efforts need to be supported by techniques that can quantify the broad economic and environmental implications of industrial operations, retrofi t options and provide new design alternatives. This contemporary overview focuses on cradle-to-grave life cycle assessments of existing or conceptual processes for producing valueadded fuels, chemicals, and/or materials from renewable agricultural residues, plant-derived starches and oils, lignocellulosic biomass, and plant-based industrial processing wastes. It presents the key concepts, systems, and technologies, with an emphasis on new feedstocks for the chemical industry. Each chapter uses common themes of specifi c raw materials, thus forming a natural progression throughout the book. The result is coverage from a wide range of perspectives, emphasizing not only the technical issues but also considering the market place and socio-economic aspects.

As naturally occurring and abundant sources of non-fossil carbon, lignin and lignans offer exciting possibilities as a source of commercially valuable products, moving away from petrochemical-based feedstocks in favour of renewable raw materials. Lignin can be used directly in fields such as agriculture, livestock, soil rehabilitation, bioremediation and the polymer industry, or it can be chemically modified for the fabrication of specialty and high-value chemicals such as resins, adhesives, fuels and greases. Lignin and Lignans as Renewable Raw Materials presents a multidisciplinary overview of the state-of-the-art and future prospects of lignin and lignans. The book discusses the origin, structure, function and applications of both types of compounds, describing the main resources and values of these products as carbon raw materials. Topics covered include: • Structure and physicochemical properties • Lignin detection methods • Biosynthesis of lignin • Isolation methods • Characterization and modification of lignins • Applications of modified and unmodified lignins • Lignans: structure, chemical and biological properties • Future perspectives This book is a comprehensive resource for researchers, scientists and engineers in academia and industry working on new possibilities for the application of renewable raw materials. For more information on the Wiley Series in Renewable Resources, visit www.wiley.com/go/rrs

Biomass as Renewable Raw Material to Obtain Bioproducts of High-tech Value examines the use of biomass as a raw material, including terrestrial and aquatic sources to obtain extracts (e.g. polyphenols), biofuels, and/or intermediates (furfural, levulinates) through chemical and biochemical processes. The book also covers the production of natural polymers using biomass and the biosynthetic process, cellulose modified by biochemical and chemical methods, and other biochemicals that can be used in the synthesis of various pharmaceuticals. Featuring case studies, discussions of sustainability, and nanomedical, biomedical, and pharmaceutical applications, Biomass as Renewable Raw Material to Obtain Bioproducts of High-tech Value is a crucial resource for biotechnologists, biochemical engineers, biochemists, microbiologists, and research students in these areas, as well as entrepreneurs, policy makers, stakeholders, and politicians. - Reviews biomass resources and compounds with bioactive properties - Describes chemical and biochemical processes for creating biofuels from biomass - Outlines production of polysaccharides and cellulose derivatives - Features applications in the fields of medicine and pharmacy

Surfactants are often completely invisible to us and yet they are present in almost every chemical that we use in our daily life. They are found in toothpastes, cosmetics, sunscreens, mayonnaise, detergents, and an array of cleaning products. Traditional surfactants are known to have adverse environmental impacts spurring research into eco-friendly and cost-effective surfactants from renewable resources. Surfactants from Renewable Raw Materials examines the class of surfactants synthesized using plant-based raw materials detailing their properties, applications, bioavailability, and biodegradability. The concluding chapter reviews patent activity over the last decade. Additional features include: Addresses the tremendous variation found in the raw materials used to synthesize commercially available surfactants. Explores the selection of raw materials based upon the desired hydrophobic group or hydrophilic group to be incorporated into the product. Examines the characteristics and medicinal applications of pulmonary surfactants in preterm babies as well as their probable contribution in COVID-19 Discusses the biodegradability of surfactants to assist with the determination of truly green surfactants. This comprehensive reference will prove indispensable for professional and academic researchers creating or working with bio-based surfactants.

Petroleum-based industrial products have gradually replaced products derived from biological materials. However, biologically based products are making a comeback--because of a threefold increase in farm productivity and new technologies. Biobased Industrial Products envisions a biobased industrial future, where starch will be used to make biopolymers and vegetable oils will become a routine component in lubricants and detergents. Biobased Industrial Products overviews the U.S. land resources available for agricultural production, summarizes plant materials currently produced, and describes prospects for increasing varieties and yields. The committee discusses the concept of the biorefinery and outlines proven and potential thermal, mechanical, and chemical technologies for conversion of natural resources to industrial applications. The committee also illustrates the developmental dynamics of biobased products through existing examples, as well as products still on the drawing board, and it identifies priorities for research and development.

This is the first book that analyses the future raw materials supply from the demand side of a society that chiefly relies on renewable energies, which is of great significance for us all. It addresses primary and secondary resources and substitution, not only from technical but also socioeconomic and ethical points of view. The “Energiewende” (Energy Transition) will change our consumption of natural resources significantly. When in future our energy requirements will be covered mostly by wind, solar power and biomass, we will need less coal, oil and natural gas. However, the consumption of minerals, especially metallic resources, will increase to build wind generators, solar panels or energy storage facilities. Besides e.g. copper, nickel or cobalt, rare earth elements and other high-tech elements will be increasingly used. With regard to primary metals, Germany is 100 % import dependent; only secondary material is produced within Germany. Though sufficient geological primary resources exist worldwide, their availability on the market is crucial. The future supply of the market is dependent on the development of prices, the transparency of the market and the question of social and ethical standards in the raw materials industry, as well as the social license to operate, which especially applies to mining. The book offers a valuable resource for everyone interested in the future raw material supply of our way of life, which will involve more and more renewable energies.

The Material Basis of Energy Transitions explores the intersection between critical raw material provision and the energy system. Chapters draw on examples and case studies involving energy technologies (e.g., electric power, transport) and raw material provision (e.g., mining, recycling), and consider these in their regional and global contexts. The book critically discusses issues such as the notion of criticality in the context of a circular economy, approaches for estimating the need for raw materials, certification schemes for raw materials, the role of consumers, and the impact of renewable energy development on resource conflicts. Each chapter deals with a specific issue that characterizes the interdependency between critical raw materials and renewable energies by examining case studies from a particular conceptual perspective. The book is a resource for students and researchers from the social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering, as well as interdisciplinary scholars interested in the field of renewable energies, the circular economy, recycling, transport, and mining. The book is also of interest to policymakers in the fields of renewable energy, recycling, and mining, professionals from the energy and resource industries, as well as energy experts and consultants looking for an interdisciplinary assessment of critical materials. - Provides a comprehensive overview of key issues related to the nexus between renewable energy and critical raw materials - Explores interdisciplinary perspectives from the natural sciences, engineering, and social sciences - Discusses critical strategies to address the nexus from a practitioner's perspective