ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with organic materials and liquid fuels. It describes how the technological potential of a shift to using renewable resources in the organic chemicals sector was evaluated within the sustainable technology development programme and how the implications of such a shift were drawn out for use in building a near-term research and development (R&D) agenda. The chapter addresses the development of plant strains that can be grown in brackish soil as a way of increasing the quantity and quality of biomass available for chemicals production. R&D efforts need to be refocused to give more attention to technologies at the front end of the materials chain in the winning and primary processing of raw materials. More promising than the established technologies are three new primary conversion technologies—advanced gasification, hydro-thermal upgrading and flash pyrolysis. Primary conversion of biomass can be achieved using several known technologies depending on the water content of the substrate.
