Challenges and opportunities toward a sustainable bio‐based chemical sector in Europe

IF 5.4 3区工程技术 Q2 ENERGY & FUELS

Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Energy and Environment Pub Date : 2024-08-01 DOI:10.1002/wene.534

Nariê Rinke Dias de Souza, Marisa Groenestege, Jurjen Spekreijse, Cláudia Ribeiro, Cristina T. Matos, Massimo Pizzol, Francesco Cherubini

{"title":"Challenges and opportunities toward a sustainable bio‐based chemical sector in Europe","authors":"Nariê Rinke Dias de Souza, Marisa Groenestege, Jurjen Spekreijse, Cláudia Ribeiro, Cristina T. Matos, Massimo Pizzol, Francesco Cherubini","doi":"10.1002/wene.534","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"The chemical sector is the fourth largest industry in the European Union (EU) and the second largest chemical producer globally. However, its global share in chemicals sales has declined from 25% two decades ago to around 14% now. The sector, which accounts for 22% of the EU industry's energy demands, faces significant challenges in mitigating climate change, reducing pollution and toxicity, and improving circularity. Biomass, a promising renewable feedstock, currently represents only 3% of the sector's feedstocks. This review explores the opportunities and challenges for a bio‐based chemical sector in the EU, particularly plastics, to improve circularity and contribute to climate neutrality, reduction of pollution and toxicity. It provides an overview of current fossil‐based feedstocks, production processes, country‐specific trends, bio‐based production, and sustainability initiatives. Exploring new feedstocks such as lignin, organic residues, and algae can increase biomass availability toward a circular bioeconomy. Integrating chemicals and plastics production into commercial pulp and power factories, biofuel plants, and the sustainable hydrogen economy could boost the sector. Hydrogen is crucial for reducing biomass's oxygen content. These can ultimately contribute to reduce climate change impacts. Designing novel chemicals and plastics to accommodate biomass's higher oxygen content, reduce toxicity, and enhance biodegradability is essential. However, plastic waste mismanagement cannot be solved by merely replacing fossil feedstocks with biomass. Sustainability initiatives can strengthen and develop a circular bio‐based chemical sector, but better management of bio‐based plastic waste and transparent labeling of bio‐based products are needed. This calls for collaborative efforts among citizens, academia, policymakers, and industry.This article is categorized under: Climate and Environment > Circular Economy Climate and Environment > Net Zero Planning and Decarbonization Emerging Technologies > Materials ","PeriodicalId":48766,"journal":{"name":"Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Energy and Environment","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Energy and Environment","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1002/wene.534","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENERGY & FUELS","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

The chemical sector is the fourth largest industry in the European Union (EU) and the second largest chemical producer globally. However, its global share in chemicals sales has declined from 25% two decades ago to around 14% now. The sector, which accounts for 22% of the EU industry's energy demands, faces significant challenges in mitigating climate change, reducing pollution and toxicity, and improving circularity. Biomass, a promising renewable feedstock, currently represents only 3% of the sector's feedstocks. This review explores the opportunities and challenges for a bio‐based chemical sector in the EU, particularly plastics, to improve circularity and contribute to climate neutrality, reduction of pollution and toxicity. It provides an overview of current fossil‐based feedstocks, production processes, country‐specific trends, bio‐based production, and sustainability initiatives. Exploring new feedstocks such as lignin, organic residues, and algae can increase biomass availability toward a circular bioeconomy. Integrating chemicals and plastics production into commercial pulp and power factories, biofuel plants, and the sustainable hydrogen economy could boost the sector. Hydrogen is crucial for reducing biomass's oxygen content. These can ultimately contribute to reduce climate change impacts. Designing novel chemicals and plastics to accommodate biomass's higher oxygen content, reduce toxicity, and enhance biodegradability is essential. However, plastic waste mismanagement cannot be solved by merely replacing fossil feedstocks with biomass. Sustainability initiatives can strengthen and develop a circular bio‐based chemical sector, but better management of bio‐based plastic waste and transparent labeling of bio‐based products are needed. This calls for collaborative efforts among citizens, academia, policymakers, and industry.This article is categorized under:

Climate and Environment > Circular Economy

Climate and Environment > Net Zero Planning and Decarbonization

Emerging Technologies > Materials

查看原文本刊更多论文

欧洲可持续生物基化学品行业面临的挑战和机遇

化工行业是欧盟的第四大产业，也是全球第二大化学品生产商。然而，它在全球化学品销售中所占的份额已从二十年前的 25% 下降到现在的约 14%。该行业占欧盟工业能源需求的 22%，在减缓气候变化、减少污染和毒性以及改善循环性方面面临重大挑战。生物质作为一种前景广阔的可再生原料，目前仅占该行业原料的 3%。本综述探讨了欧盟生物基化工行业（尤其是塑料行业）在改善循环性、实现气候中和、减少污染和毒性方面所面临的机遇和挑战。它概述了当前以化石为基础的原料、生产工艺、特定国家的趋势、生物基生产以及可持续发展倡议。探索木质素、有机残留物和藻类等新原料可以提高生物质的可用性，从而实现循环型生物经济。将化学品和塑料生产与商业纸浆和发电厂、生物燃料工厂以及可持续氢经济相结合，可以促进该行业的发展。氢对于降低生物质的含氧量至关重要。这最终有助于减少气候变化的影响。设计新型化学品和塑料以适应生物质的高含氧量、降低毒性并提高生物降解性至关重要。然而，仅仅用生物质替代化石原料并不能解决塑料废物管理不善的问题。可持续发展倡议可以加强和发展循环型生物基化工行业，但需要更好地管理生物基塑料废物，并为生物基产品贴上透明标签。这需要公民、学术界、政策制定者和工业界的共同努力：气候与环境> 循环经济气候与环境> 净零规划与去碳化新兴技术> 材料

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Energy and Environment ENERGY & FUELS-

CiteScore

11.70

自引率

3.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environmentis a new type of review journal covering all aspects of energy technology, security and environmental impact. Energy is one of the most critical resources for the welfare and prosperity of society. It also causes adverse environmental and societal effects, notably climate change which is the severest global problem in the modern age. Finding satisfactory solutions to the challenges ahead will need a linking of energy technology innovations, security, energy poverty, and environmental and climate impacts. The broad scope of energy issues demands collaboration between different disciplines of science and technology, and strong interaction between engineering, physical and life scientists, economists, sociologists and policy-makers.