Towards a renewable Brazilian chemistry from vegetal biomass

Abstract

The transition from the current dependence on non-renewable raw materials of the chemical industry to vegetable biomass as an oil substitute has become a strategic challenge to the twenty-first century. Chemicals have the highest potential to add value on a biomass chain because of the importance of conventional chemical industry and fine chemical chemistry for different sectors of economy. This article deals with the economic potential of the vegetable biomass as a source of raw material to support the production of renewable chemicals. The focus is on illustrating the perspectives and challenges for the development of a Brazilian renewable chemical industry, considering that Brazil is one of the largest global producers of agro-industrial biomass for several purposes, especially for food and biofuels.