ABSTRACT
The economy of tomorrow will be more biobased than today. Most lignocellulosic biorefineries are expected to be ready for large-scale production in the coming years but some of them have already emerged all over the world.
In the U.S., the Department of Agriculture has explored the opportunities associated with the biobased economy. The market for biobased products is growing because of the efforts of manufacturers, consumers, and government officials to promote the development and acceptance of these products as they become commercially viable. One of the representative programs in the US is the Department of Energy (DOE)’s Genomic Science Program which aims to develop a predictive understanding of biological systems relevant to energy production, environmental remediation, and climate change mitigation. DOE has also established three Bioenergy Research Centers (Joint Bioenergy Institute, Bioenergy Science Center, Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center) to support fundamental researches about the biotechnology-based resources on the challenges of biofuel production.
In Europe, the three pillars of the bioeconomy strategy and action plan are investing in research, innovation and skills, reinforced policy interaction and stakeholder engagement and enhancement of markets and competitiveness in bioeconomy sectors. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has set up the EU bioeconomy observatory. It will supply policy-makers and stakeholders with reference data and analyses, providing a solid basis for policy development and decision-making. A Joint Technology Initiative was initiated by the European Bio-based Industries (BBI) which is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the European Commission and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC).
Several building blocks are promising for the near future. Many of these molecules can lead to polymers that are commonly present in high volume plastics and rubbers. Nevertheless, the sustainability challenge still exists.
