Valuable biochemicals of the future : The outlook for bio-based value-added chemicals and their growing markets

Abstract

Bio-based value-added chemicals are chemical compounds derived from biomass that can be used for a wide range of industrial applications. They account for about 7% of the EU bio-based industrial market. Bio-based industry refers to production from biomass, excluding the food and beverage industry. This report describes the different groups of chemical compounds from forest, agricultural and aquatic biomass and their applications in different product groups. The report focuses on biochemicals that can be extracted from biomass by different extraction methods and highlights studies on their suitability for different applications. The aim is to outline a future vision for the use of biochemicals by 2050.

Global megatrends such as climate change, geopolitical tensions, security of supply, loss of biodiversity, population growth will influence the potential for biomass production at regional and global level. Given limited resources, industry needs to make more efficient use of the biomass produced. The limits of the earth's carrying capacity are being reached earlier every year and therefore there is a high and growing demand for biomass-based products. Bio-based solutions offer an alternative to fossil-based products, the production of which is problematic due to greenhouse gas emissions, environmental chemicalization and the depletion of fossil reserves. When replacing fossil products with bio-based solutions, the environmental benefits must be clearly demonstrated, for example through life-cycle assessment.

Cascade processing of different biomasses produces a wide range of fractions for industrial use. For example, hot water extraction can be used to separate phenolic compounds such as condensed tannins, stilbenes and flavonoids, which have applications in leather tanning, winemaking, building materials, flocculants and coagulants, adhesives, pharmaceuticals, food supplements and cosmetics. Hemicellulose can be used to produce a wide range of sugars for further processing into bioproducts and as a carbon source for fermentation. Commercial biochemical products based on novel materials are among the products with belong to the low volume but high unite price. In the future, the high demand for bio-based products will increase the production and availability of bio-based alternatives. The most important growing category of bio-chemicals are the basic industrial chemicals, the so-called platform chemicals, which can be tailored to specific applications.