Introduction to Renewable Biomaterials

Preface

Over the past few decades the ratio of production to new discoveries has gradually fallen and is currently estimated to about three to one. For every discovered barrel of oil, we consume three. At the same time, more and more regions of the world are seeking high-quality lifestyles that are resource intensive. Until relatively recently (about 30 years ago), high consumption of energy was reserved for the developed economies of the “West.” Since then, rapid development of other countries such as China, India, and Brazil has resulted in a huge increase in demand for energy sources worldwide. The entire population of OECD countries is estimated as about 1.25 billion people, and their primary energy use as 4.37 toe per capita. When China, India, and Brazil, altogether about 2.75 billion people, approach even conservative “European” levels of fossil resources usage (3.29 toe per capita), an additional supply exceeding current use of all OECD countries will be required. It is difficult to envisage how this demand could be met with nonrenewable resources in the medium to long term. It is therefore evident that resources at our disposal are shrinking fast. Moreover, most of these petroleum polymers are not biodegradable and, thus, cannot be decomposed naturally. Furthermore, the addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere at the end of its life cycle has increased the need to use materials from renewable and CO₂-neutral resources. There is more carbohydrate on earth than all ...