Lignocellulosic biomass has enormous potential for obtaining high value-added bioproducts, especially bioplastics. Lignocellulosic materials are abundant and generally inexpensive, and the current challenge is to produce valuable chemical products with:
- High selectivity, and
- Performance at a low cost
For this reason, the number of pilot projects, demonstrations & industrial biorefinery plants are currently on the rise and paving the way towards a bioeconomy world in which lignocellulosic biomass will contribute actively.
Let’s understand the key challenges and opportunities associated with lignocellulose biomass to produce high value-added bioproducts and bioplastics supporting the global bioeconomy.
Lignocellulose Biomass – A Sustainable Bioenergy Source for Future
As we all know, the demand for petroleum-dependent chemical products and materials has increased greatly in recent decades, despite dwindling fossil fuel resources. For this reason, society must now urgently implement alternative energies and high-value resources. Lignocellulosic biomass, therefore, has enormous potential as an alternative feedstock to fossil resources because it is the most abundant and is also renewable. It has been demonstrated that biomass recovery makes it possible to obtain hundreds of high value-added bioproducts, including bioplastics, which are of great interest.
Modern polymerization technologies allow to the production of versatile polymers with highly tailor-made properties and a wide range of applications. Depending on the requirements, polymers produced can therefore be:
- Rigid or flexible
- Transparent or opaque
- Conductive or insulating
- Permeable or with barrier properties
- Durable or degradable, etc.
No other class of materials has such diverse properties and versatile applications. This means that modern life would be impossible without polymers since they provide all humanity with a high quality of life.
Concerns Regarding Depletion of Fossil Resources
The industrial production of a wide range of chemical products and synthetic polymers still relies heavily on fossil resources. The depletion of these resources, together with environmental effects, such as global warming, and pollution are threatening the future of the plastics industry.
In the early 20th century, Henry Ford suggested that the implementation of a bioeconomy would be a logical and necessary step in the growth of any civilization. This implementation was postponed because of how cheap petroleum was compared to any other basic product. However, the competitive price advantage of fossil fuels in the last century has disappeared1, and concerns regarding fossil fuels have now started to prevail in society, with growing demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly products. For example, the European Union has approved laws to help reduce the use of environmentally abusive materials and has earmarked more funds for the search for materials based on renewable natural resources.
| Alternative solutions are therefore being sought to develop sustainable polymers from renewable natural resources to reduce our current dependence on fossil resources and adjust the production rate of CO2 to its rate of consumption.2 |
Solutions to Replace Petroleum-based Polymers
Biomass and biomass-derived materials are currently among the most promising alternatives. These materials are generated from:
- Atmospheric CO2,
- Water, and
- Sunlight available through biological photosynthesis.
Biomass is thus considered the only sustainable source of organic carbon on earth and the perfect equivalent to petroleum for producing fuels and chemicals with net-zero carbon emissions. In this context, lignocellulosic biomass is of critical importance. It has been proposed as an abundant, renewable carbon-neutral feedstock that can reduce CO2 emissions and air pollution.
Additionally, cellulose, the main component of lignocellulosic biomass, is considered the strongest potential candidate to replace petroleum-based polymers due to its renewability, biocompatibility, and biodegradability.
Opportunities & Challenges Associated With Lignocellulosic Biomass
Lignocellulosic Raw Materials Advantages Over Biomass Sources
The sustainability of producing fuels and chemical products from biomass has been the subject of heated debate. For example, concerns have been raised regarding the sustainability of the current production of bioethanol. This product is based on starch and sugar cultivation, which means that a limited supply of these crops may cause bioethanol production to come into competition with food production.
Lignocellulosic raw materials have advantages over other biomass sources because they are based on the inedible part of the plant and therefore do not interfere with the food supply. Furthermore, lignocellulosic forest, agricultural and agro-industrial waste accumulates in large quantities every year. In fact, the accumulation of this waste on the ground and in landfills causes serious environmental problems that could be solved if this waste were used to make high value-added products. From an economic point of view, lignocellulosic biomass can be produced rapidly and at a lower cost than other agriculturally important bio-products raw materials such as corn starch, soybean, and sugar cane, and it is also significantly cheaper than crude oil.3
Advantages of Lignocellulosic Biomass
Efficient Methods for Lignocellulosic Materials Break Down
However, developing methods for converting lignocellulosic biomass into chemicals and polymers still remains a challenge. Lignocellulose has evolved to resist being broken down, and this inherent property of lignocellulosic materials makes them resistant to enzymatic and chemical degradation. Therefore, in order to modify the physical and chemical properties of the lignocellulosic matrix, lignocellulosic biomass must first be treated, which is usually a costly procedure.
Although lignocellulosic materials are abundant and generally inexpensive, the crucial challenge in lignocellulosic biomass conversion is to produce high value-added chemicals with high selectivity and performance at a lower cost. A relevant number of research projects are currently being carried out worldwide to tackle this problem. Biorefineries have therefore been developed to refine biomass, just as petrochemical plants were created for petroleum production. In this case, however, the goal is to obtain renewable oils and monomers. The number of pilot projects and demonstration-industrial plants related to biorefinery operations is increasing every day.