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.
Industry Reviews
"The editors and their team of contributing experts in this special field created an excellent up-to-date reference guide covering all aspects from a wide range of perspectives, emphasizing not only the technical issues but also considering the market place and socio-economic aspects." (Advances in Food Science, 2012)
"As a conclusion of this review this book gives a concentrated overview on all aspects of the use of renewable in the chemical industry for experts and everyone who wants to be informed on today and future options of the bio-based chemistry." (Encyclopedia of Industrial Biotechnology, 30 August 2011)
