Bioproducts
Encyclopedia
Bioproducts or Bio-based Products are materials, chemicals and energy
derived from renewable biological resources.
, forestry
, and biologically-derived waste
, and there are many other renewable bioresource examples. One of the scientific terms used to denote renewable bioresources is lignocellulose. Lignocellulosic tissues are biologically-derived natural resources
containing some of the main constituents of the natural world. 1) Holocellulose is the carbohydrate fraction of lignocellulose that includes cellulose
, a common building block made of sugar (glucose) that is the most abundant biopolymer, as well as hemicellulose
. 2) Lignin
is the second most abundant biopolymer. Cellulose and lignin are two of the primary natural polymers used by plants to store energy as well as to give strength, as is the case in woody plant tissues. Other energy storage chemicals in plants include oils, waxes, fats
, etc., and because these other plant compounds have distinct properties, they offer potential for a host of different bioproducts
Examples of conventional bio-based products include building materials, pulp and paper
, and forest products. Examples of
emerging bioproducts or biobased product
s include biofuels, bioenergy
, starch-based and cellulose-based ethanol
, bio-based adhesives, biochemicals, biodegradable plastics, etc. Emerging bioproducts are active subjects of research and development, and these efforts have developed significantly since the turn of the 20/21st century, in part driven by the price of traditional petroleum-based products, by the environmental impact of petroleum use, and by an interest in many countries to become independent from foreign sources of oil. Bioproducts derived from bioresources can replace much of the fuels, chemicals, plastics etc. that are currently derived from petroleum
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
derived from renewable biological resources.
Bioresources
Biological resources include agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
, and biologically-derived waste
Waste
Waste is unwanted or useless materials. In biology, waste is any of the many unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from living organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea, sweat or feces. Litter is waste which has been disposed of improperly...
, and there are many other renewable bioresource examples. One of the scientific terms used to denote renewable bioresources is lignocellulose. Lignocellulosic tissues are biologically-derived natural resources
Natural Resources
Natural Resources is a soul album released by Motown girl group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas in 1970 on the Gordy label. The album is significant for the Vietnam War ballad "I Should Be Proud" and the slow jam, "Love Guess Who"...
containing some of the main constituents of the natural world. 1) Holocellulose is the carbohydrate fraction of lignocellulose that includes cellulose
Cellulose
Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β linked D-glucose units....
, a common building block made of sugar (glucose) that is the most abundant biopolymer, as well as hemicellulose
Hemicellulose
A hemicellulose is any of several heteropolymers , such as arabinoxylans, present along with cellulose in almost all plant cell walls. While cellulose is crystalline, strong, and resistant to hydrolysis, hemicellulose has a random, amorphous structure with little strength...
. 2) Lignin
Lignin
Lignin or lignen is a complex chemical compound most commonly derived from wood, and an integral part of the secondary cell walls of plants and some algae. The term was introduced in 1819 by de Candolle and is derived from the Latin word lignum, meaning wood...
is the second most abundant biopolymer. Cellulose and lignin are two of the primary natural polymers used by plants to store energy as well as to give strength, as is the case in woody plant tissues. Other energy storage chemicals in plants include oils, waxes, fats
Fats
Fats may refer to:*Fat, a generic term for a class of lipids in biochemistry*Fats Domino, rock and roll pianist*Fats Waller, jazz pianist*Fats Navarro, jazz trumpeter*Singing Fats, master of ceremonies*Obesity...
, etc., and because these other plant compounds have distinct properties, they offer potential for a host of different bioproducts
Bioproducts
Conventional Bioproducts and Emerging Bioproducts are two broad categories used to categorize bioproducts.Examples of conventional bio-based products include building materials, pulp and paper
Pulp and Paper
Pulp and Paper is the name of the largest United States-based trade magazine for the pulp and paper industry. See also: Paper engineering, Pulp and Paper Merit Badge...
, and forest products. Examples of
emerging bioproducts or biobased product
Biobased Product
Biobased product, was defined by the United States Secretary of Agriculture in the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 as follows, "The term ‘‘biobased product’’ means a product determined by the Secretary to be a commercial or industrial product that is composed, in whole or in...
s include biofuels, bioenergy
Bioenergy
Bioenergy is renewable energy made available from materials derived from biological sources. Biomass is any organic material which has stored sunlight in the form of chemical energy. As a fuel it may include wood, wood waste, straw, manure, sugarcane, and many other byproducts from a variety of...
, starch-based and cellulose-based ethanol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
, bio-based adhesives, biochemicals, biodegradable plastics, etc. Emerging bioproducts are active subjects of research and development, and these efforts have developed significantly since the turn of the 20/21st century, in part driven by the price of traditional petroleum-based products, by the environmental impact of petroleum use, and by an interest in many countries to become independent from foreign sources of oil. Bioproducts derived from bioresources can replace much of the fuels, chemicals, plastics etc. that are currently derived from petroleum
See also
- Biofact (biology)Biofact (biology)In biology, a biofact is dead material of a once-living organism.In 1943, the protozoologist Bruno M. Klein of Vienna coined the term in his article Biofakt und Artefakt in the microscopy journal Mikrokosmos, though at that time it was not adopted by the scientific community...
- BiomassBiomassBiomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
- Biomass (ecology)Biomass (ecology)Biomass, in ecology, is the mass of living biological organisms in a given area or ecosystem at a given time. Biomass can refer to species biomass, which is the mass of one or more species, or to community biomass, which is the mass of all species in the community. It can include microorganisms,...
- ForestForestA forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
- Outline of forestry
- BiogasBiogasBiogas typically refers to a gas produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Organic waste such as dead plant and animal material, animal dung, and kitchen waste can be converted into a gaseous fuel called biogas...
- BiorefiningBiorefiningBiorefining is the process of "refining" multiple products from biomass as a feedstock or raw material much like a petroleum refinery that is currently in use...
- BioenergyBioenergyBioenergy is renewable energy made available from materials derived from biological sources. Biomass is any organic material which has stored sunlight in the form of chemical energy. As a fuel it may include wood, wood waste, straw, manure, sugarcane, and many other byproducts from a variety of...
- Biofuels
- Biochemicals
- Non-timber forest productsNon-timber forest productsNon-timber forest products are considered as any commodity obtained from the forest that does not necessitate harvesting trees. It includes game animals, fur-bearers, nuts and seeds, berries,...
Further reading
- Bowyer, J.L., Ramaswamy, S. Bioenergy development: Alignment is essential, Part 1, Bioenergy Technologies Tappi Publication, January 2009, p14-17
- Bowyer, J.L., Ramaswamy, S. Bioenergy development: Alignment is essential for Bioenergy Development, Part II, Exploring possible scenarios resulting from a supply gap, and possible effects of bioenergy development in environmental quality Tappi Publication, March 2009, p16-19
External links
- Research and Development
- http://www.biopreferred.gov/Default.aspx?SMSESSION=NO/BioPreferred
- Renewable Energy Laboratory - Fostering Bio-economy
- DOE Biomass Program
- of bioproducts
- Bio-based Products
- Energy Research Association
- Energy Title (Title IX) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002
- BioPreferred Program : Official site of the BioPreferred program
- Renewable Fuels Association : Association dedicated to supporting the use of ethanol by promoting policies, regulations, and research.
- United Soybean Board : Promotes the use of U.S. grown soybeans in consumer and industrial products.
- EPA Methane
- Minnesota Biomass Exchange
- Power
- Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry
- Products Society