ABSTRACT
This chapter is about the production of materials from living sources, especially plants. There is nothing new about this source of materials. Throughout virtually all of humankind’s brief stay on Earth, wood and ber were the primary raw materials used by humans to make dwellings, as fuel, and in many other applications. Animals feeding on plant biomass also provided key raw materials, such as leather for shoes, fur wraps to protect against Ice Age cold, wool from sheep, and silk from the cocoons of insects.
