ABSTRACT
Society faces a daunting future in terms of water, food, and resource scarcity. This has been clearly evidenced by recent studies showing a continuous decrease in fossil fuel resources, the increasing generation of waste, and the expected increase in population in future years [1-4]. Facing these challenges is not an easy task. A multidisciplinary team effort from many disciplines is needed to come up with suitable alternatives for a future more sustainable society able to deal with these important issues. Renewable resources for the production of alternative energies are believed to be key to a future scenario in the absence of crude oil. The paradigm shift from petroleum hydrocarbons to biobased feedstock provides remarkable opportunities for the chemical processing industry and production of sustainable materials able to replace petrol, strongly linked with a more sustainable future.
