(RSC green chemistry series 43)

Commercializing Biobased Products
Opportunities, Challenges, Benefits, and Risks


RSC Green Chemistry
Editor-in-Chief:
Professor James Clark, Department of Chemistry, University of York, UK

Series Editors:
Professor George A. Kraus, Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University,
Ames, Iowa, USA
Professor Andrzej Stankiewicz, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Professor Peter Siedl, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Titles in the Series:
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
9:

The Future of Glycerol: New Uses of a Versatile Raw Material
Alternative Solvents for Green Chemistry
Eco-Friendly Synthesis of Fine Chemicals
Sustainable Solutions for Modern Economies
Chemical Reactions and Processes under Flow Conditions
Radical Reactions in Aqueous Media

Aqueous Microwave Chemistry
The Future of Glycerol: 2nd Edition
Transportation Biofuels: Novel Pathways for the Production of Ethanol,
Biogas and Biodiesel
10: Alternatives to Conventional Food Processing
11: Green Trends in Insect Control
12: A Handbook of Applied Biopolymer Technology: Synthesis, Degradation
and Applications
13: Challenges in Green Analytical Chemistry
14: Advanced Oil Crop Biorefineries
15: Enantioselective Homogeneous Supported Catalysis
16: Natural Polymers Volume 1: Composites
17: Natural Polymers Volume 2: Nanocomposites
18: Integrated Forest Biorefineries
19: Sustainable Preparation of Metal Nanoparticles: Methods and
Applications
20: Alternative Solvents for Green Chemistry: 2nd Edition
21: Natural Product Extraction: Principles and Applications
22: Element Recovery and Sustainability
23: Green Materials for Sustainable Water Remediation and Treatment
24: The Economic Utilisation of Food Co-Products
25: Biomass for Sustainable Applications: Pollution Remediation and Energy
26: From C–H to C–C Bonds: Cross-Dehydrogenative-Coupling
27: Renewable Resources for Biorefineries
28: Transition Metal Catalysis in Aerobic Alcohol Oxidation
29: Green Materials from Plant Oils
30: Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) Based Blends, Composites and
Nanocomposites

31: Ball Milling Towards Green Synthesis: Applications, Projects, Challenges
32: Porous Carbon Materials from Sustainable Precursors
33: Heterogeneous Catalysis for Today’s Challenges: Synthesis,
Characterization and Applications
34: Chemical Biotechnology and Bioengineering
35: Microwave-Assisted Polymerization
36: Ionic Liquids in the Biorefinery Concept: Challenges and Perspectives
37: Starch-based Blends, Composites and Nanocomposites
38: Sustainable Catalysis: With Non-endangered Metals, Part 1
39: Sustainable Catalysis: With Non-endangered Metals, Part 2
40: Sustainable Catalysis: Without Metals or Other Endangered
Elements, Part 1
41: Sustainable Catalysis: Without Metals or Other Endangered
Elements, Part 2
42: Green Photo-active Nanomaterials: Sustainable Energy and
Environmental Remediation
43: Commercializing Biobased Products: Opportunities, Challenges,
Benefits, and Risks

How to obtain future titles on publication:
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Visit our website at www.rsc.org/books

Commercializing Biobased
Products
Opportunities, Challenges, Benefits,
and Risks

Edited by

Seth W. Snyder
McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston IL, USA
Email:


RSC Green Chemistry No. 43
Print ISBN: 978-1-78262-039-6
PDF eISBN: 978-1-78262-244-4
ISSN: 1757-7039
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
r The Royal Society of Chemistry 2016
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Published by The Royal Society of Chemistry,
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Preface
Biobased products have been the next ‘‘big thing’’ for about two decades.
Products have higher profit margins than biofuels. The market volumes of
products are more amenable to biobased feedstocks and biobased products.
Commercializing Biobased Products: Opportunities, Challenges, Benefits, and
Risks is a comprehensive review of the state of the industry. The book covers
the process from feedstock sustainability to conversions and separations. In
addition, the book highlights several emerging biobased products. Going
beyond other volumes on the subject, Commercializing Biobased Products
evaluates sustainability factors, supply chain factors, policy, and economics.
Beyond a review of the technology, this volume exposes the reader to the
full spectrum of opportunities, challenges, benefits, and risks of a robust
biobased product market. The chapter contributors come from the US,
Europe, and Asia and represent academia, government, national laboratories, and industry. The editor has a joint appointment in academia and a
national laboratory and has worked extensively with government and
industry.
Seth W. Snyder
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

McCormick School of Engineering
Northwestern University

RSC Green Chemistry No. 43
Commercializing Biobased Products: Opportunities, Challenges, Benefits, and Risks
Edited by Seth W. Snyder
r The Royal Society of Chemistry 2016
Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, www.rsc.org

vii



Contents
Chapter 1 An Introduction to Commercializing Biobased Products:
Opportunities, Challenges, Benefits, and Risks
Seth W. Snyder

1

Chapter 2 The Changing Landscape: A History and Evolution of
Bio-based Products
Gene R. Petersen and Nichole D. Fitzgerald

8

2.1 Introduction and Background
2.2 Early Stages: Chemurgy (1900–1940)
2.3 A Changing World (1941–1979)
2.4 Resource Concerns (1973–2000)

2.5 Balancing Acts (2000–2020)
2.6 Examples of the Bio-based Product Landscape
2.7 Conclusions
Acknowledgements
References
Chapter 3 Bioenergy Crops: Delivering More Than Energy
M. Cristina Negri and Herbert Ssegane
3.1
3.2

The Context
Bioenergy Crops as Providers of Energy,
Environmental and Ecosystem Services
3.2.1 Soil Physical Properties
3.2.2 Soil Carbon

RSC Green Chemistry No. 43
Commercializing Biobased Products: Opportunities, Challenges, Benefits, and Risks
Edited by Seth W. Snyder
r The Royal Society of Chemistry 2016
Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, www.rsc.org

ix

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Contents

3.2.3

Rooting Habit, Water Capture and Drought
Avoidance
3.2.4 Water Quality
3.2.5 Nutrient Management
3.2.6 Water Use
3.2.7 Adaptation to Flooding and Drought
3.2.8 Biodiversity
3.2.9 Pest Suppression
3.3 Designing for Yields and Ecosystem Services
3.4 The Broader Picture on Implementation
References
Chapter 4 Butanol Production by Fermentation: Efficient Bioreactors
Adriano P. Mariano, Thaddeus C. Ezeji and Nasib Qureshi

4.1
4.2
4.3

Introduction
Traditional Technology: Batch Fermentation
Continuous Systems
4.3.1 Free Cell Continuous Bioreactors
4.3.2 Immobilized Cell Continuous Reactors
4.3.3 Cell Recycle Continuous Reactors
4.3.4 Continuous Bioreactors and Simultaneous
Product Recovery
4.4 Perspectives and Concluding Remarks
References
Chapter 5 Catalysis’s Role in Bioproducts Update
Kim Magrini-Bair, Derek R. Vardon and Gregg T. Beckham
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5

5.6

Introduction
Catalyst Considerations
DOE’s Top Value Added Chemicals from Biomass
Revisited
Process Option for Biomass Conversion to
Bioproducts

Biomass to Products through Deconstructed
Molecules
5.5.1 Biomass-derived Syngas Upgrading
5.5.2 Biomass Pyrolysis Products Upgrading
Biomass to Products through Platform Chemicals
5.6.1 Succinic Acid
5.6.2 Ethanol
5.6.3 2,5-FurandicarBoxylic Acid

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5.6.4 3-Hydroxypropanoic Acid
5.6.5 Glycerol
5.6.6 Sorbitol
5.6.7 Levulinic Acid
5.6.8 Itaconic Acid
5.6.9 3-Hydroxybutyrolactone
5.6.10 Glutamic Acid
5.6.11 Glucaric Acid
5.6.12 Aspartic Acid
5.7 Biomass to Products through One-pot Reactions
5.8 Conclusions

References
Chapter 6 Separations Technologies for Biobased Product
Formation—Opportunities and Challenges
Bhanendra Singh, Anju Kumari and Saurav Datta
6.1
6.2

Introduction
Fundamentals of Separations Technologies
6.2.1 Adsorption
6.2.2 Crystallization
6.2.3 Liquid–Liquid (L–L) Extraction
6.2.4 Membrane Separations Technologies
6.3 Application of Separations Technologies for
Biobased Product Recovery
6.3.1 Algal Biomass-derived Valuable Products
6.3.2 Organic Acids
6.3.3 Furan Derivatives
6.3.4 Sugar Alcohols
6.4 Summary
Acknowledgements
References

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Chapter 7 Lignin as Feedstock for Fibers and Chemicals
132
Steven W. Peretti, Ryan Barton and Regis Teixeira Mendonca
7.1
7.2

7.3

Introduction
Lignin Fundamentals
7.2.1 Lignin Structure and Chemistry
7.2.2 Lignin from Industrial Processes
Lignin Depolymerization
7.3.1 Catalytic Depolymerization
7.3.2 Biological Depolymerization

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xii

Contents

7.4

Functional Materials from Lignin
7.4.1 Adhesives
7.4.2 Copolymers or Polymer Additives
7.4.3 Foams and Gels
7.4.4 Carbon Fibers
7.5 Final Thoughts

References

Chapter 8 Update on Research and Development of Microbial Oils
Yanna Liang
8.1
8.2

Introduction
Identifying Low- or Zero-value Carbon Sources
8.2.1 Carbon Sources from Industry Waste Streams
8.2.2 Carbon Sources from Agricultural Waste
Streams
8.3 Maximizing Oil Productivity through Biochemical
Approaches
8.4 Maximizing Oil Productivity through Molecular
Biology Techniques
8.4.1 Increasing Production of Fatty Acids through
a Systems Biology Approach
8.4.2 Increasing Production of Microbial Oils
through Engineering Oleaginous Species
8.5 Concluding Remarks
References
Chapter 9

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Bioprocessing of Cost-competitive Biobased Organic Acids 190
Yupo J. Lin, Jamie A. Hestekin, Michael P. Henry and
Norman Sather
9.1
9.2
9.3

9.4

Introduction
Current Technology for Organic Acid Production
with Bioconversion Processes
Separative Bioreactors—Designs for Integrated
Bioprocessing
9.3.1 The Separative Bioreactor
9.3.2 Innovative Electrodeionization Technology

to Capture Organic Acids
Demonstration of Separative Bioreactor
Performance for Organic Acid Production
9.4.1 Enzyme Separative Bioreactor for the
Production of Gluconic Acid and Sorbitol

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xiii

9.4.2

Integrated Fermentation Separative
Bioreactor
9.4.3 Economics of Organic Acid Separations by
EDI-SB
9.5 Summary
References
Chapter 10 CO2 Conversion to Chemicals with Emphasis on using
Renewable Energy/Resources to Drive the Conversion
Rich Masel, Zengcai Liu, Di Zhao, Qingmei Chen,

Dale Lutz and Laura Nereng
10.1
10.2

Introduction
Reacting CO2 with Fossil Fuels
10.2.1 Chemical Production from CO2
10.3 Reducing CO2 using Renewable Energy/Resources
to Drive the Conversion
10.3.1 Producing H2 using Renewable Energy,
Reacting H2 with CO2
10.3.2 Electrochemically Reducing CO2 to
Chemicals and Fuels
10.4 Concentrated Solar for CO2 Conversion
10.5 Summary
Conflict of Interest Statement
Acknowledgements
References

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Chapter 11 Methodological Considerations, Drivers and Trends in the
Life Cycle Analysis of Bioproducts
258
Jennifer B. Dunn, Felix K. Adom, Norman F. Sather and
Jeongwoo Han
11.1

11.2
11.3

Introduction
11.1.1 Life Cycle Analysis of Bioproducts
11.1.2 Bioproduct LCA Results in the Literature
11.1.3 Feedstock Choice
11.1.4 Study Background and Motivation
Methodology
Results
11.3.1 Fossil Fuel Consumption and GHG
Emissions of Conventional and
Biomass-derived Compounds

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xiv

Contents

11.3.2

Influence of End-of-life Assumptions on
GHG Emissions of Biomass-derived
Polyethylene
11.3.3 Cradle-to-gate Water Consumption of
Bioproducts
11.4 Conclusions
References
Chapter 12 Design and Planning of Sustainable Supply Chains for
Biobased Products
JaeSuk Park, Dajun Yue and Fengqi You
12.1
12.2
12.3
12.4

Introduction
Biomass-to-chemical Pathways
Problem Statement
Model Formulation
12.4.1 Constraints
12.4.2 Costs, Revenues, and Economic Objective
12.4.3 GHG Emissions and Environmental
Objective
12.5 Solution Algorithm
12.6 Case Study
12.6.1 Input Data
12.6.2 Results and Discussion
12.7 Conclusion
Nomenclature
References

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Chapter 13 US Government Bioproducts Policy ‘‘Watch What We Do,
Not What We Say’’
304
Robert E. Kozak
13.1
13.2

13.3

US Bioproducts Policy: Words, but No Deeds
Why Is There a Lack of US Bioproduct Policy?
13.2.1 In Washington, Size Matters
13.2.2 US Biochemical Production: A New, Small
Industry
13.2.3 Accidental Policy in the United States
Could a Similar Approach Be Used for
Bioproducts?
13.3.1 Cost Effectiveness of Using Bioproducts to
Reduce GHG Impacts

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Contents

xv

13.3.2

A Competing GHG Reduction Approach:
Using E30 (30% Ethanol) to Meet US Fuel
Economy Standards
13.4 Possible Strategies to Develop a US Bioproducts
Policy Framework
13.5 Conclusion: ‘‘Watching What They Do, Not What
They Say’’
References
Chapter 14 Study on Investment Climate in Bio-based Industries
in the Netherlands
Lara Dammer and Michael Carus
14.1
14.2
14.3

Introduction and Executive Summary

Objective and Methodology
Investment Climate and Barriers for Investment
14.3.1 Definitions and Standards
14.3.2 Knowledge and Education
14.3.3 Infrastructure
14.3.4 Public Procurement
14.3.5 Public Funding Structures
14.3.6 Tax Policy
14.3.7 Other
14.4 Strengths and Weaknesses of the Netherlands as a
Location for Bio-based Economy
14.5 Conclusions and Recommendations
14.5.1 Level Playing Field—the Competition
Triangle
14.5.2 Sustainability and Incentives—Two Sides
of One Coin
14.5.3 Recommended Measures
References

Chapter 15 A Monte Carlo-based Methodology for Valuing Refineries
Producing Aviation Biofuel
Damian Blazy, Matthew N. Pearlson, Bruno Miller and
Rebekah E. Bartlett
15.1
15.2
15.3

Introduction
Background and Review of Past Analyses
Limitations of DCFROR Models in Incorporating

Uncertainty

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xvi

Contents

15.4

Key Methodology, Data and Assumptions Used in
the Monte Carlo Model
15.4.1 Monte Carlo Methodology Overview
15.4.2 Step 1: Constructing Uncertainty
Profiles
15.4.3 Step 2: Constructing the Correlation
Matrix
15.4.4 Step 3: Developing Assumptions
15.5 Steps 4–7: Monte Carlo Simulation—Results
15.6 Implications for Government Policy
References
Chapter 16 A Path Forward: Investment Cooperation between the
United States and China in a Bioeconomy
Seth W. Snyder
16.1
16.2
16.3

16.4

16.5

16.6
16.7
16.8

16.9

Introduction
Why Invest in the Bioeconomy?
A Local Supply Chain
16.3.1 Feedstocks for the Bioeconomy
16.3.2 Biobased Feedstocks vs. Fossil
Feedstocks
16.3.3 Processing
16.3.4 The Advantages of Small
Public Policy and the Bioeconomy
16.4.1 Aviation Biofuels as an
Example of the Challenge
16.4.2 Biogas is a Bright Spot
Factoring in Risk
The Largest Challenge is Project Finance
16.6.1 Project Finance So Far
A Path Forward
16.7.1 Capital from Chinese Investors
The Bioeconomy in China
16.8.1 The Needs in China Are Even Greater
16.8.2 Progress in China
Deployment in the US and China
16.9.1 Benefits of Cooperation in the
Bioeconomy
16.9.2 Impacts on the Environment and

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
16.9.3 Agriculture

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16.9.4

Challenges to Cooperation in the
Bioeconomy
16.9.5 Making the Case for Cooperation on the
Bioeconomy
16.9.6 Programs to Foster Cooperation Must
Address Intellectual Property Rights
16.10 Potential Size of the Bioeconomy
16.11 Conclusions
Acknowledgements
Subject Index

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366



CHAPTER 1

An Introduction to
Commercializing Biobased
Products: Opportunities,
Challenges, Benefits, and Risks
SETH W. SNYDER
Northwestern University, McCormick School of Engineering,
2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
Email:

Biobased products have been the next ‘‘big thing’’ for about two decades.
Speak to a scientist or engineer in the field and you will hear a hundred
reasons why investments should focus on products rather than fuels.
Products have higher profit margins. The market volumes of products are
more amenable to biobased feedstocks and biobased products. While biobased feedstocks are close to 50% oxygen, fuels contain very little oxygen.
The oxygen content of biobased products such as alcohols, carboxylic acids
and esters much more closely match the feedstock, and therefore, are more
atom efficient. The editor has engaged in the field since 1999. While we have
seen dramatic progress in commercialization since about 2013, production
of biobased products are still orders of magnitude less than biofuels. While
biofuels have received significant public support including tax credits,
blending mandates, and state incentives, biobased products do not have
mandates or economic incentives in the US.

RSC Green Chemistry No. 43
Commercializing Biobased Products: Opportunities, Challenges, Benefits, and Risks
Edited by Seth W. Snyder
r The Royal Society of Chemistry 2016
Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, www.rsc.org

1


2

Chapter 1

Gasoline stations prominently display fuel prices at every major intersection reminding consumers (and voters) of the volatility of the energy
markets. Ask your neighbor and they could probably tell you the price of fuel
to three significant figures. Ask them what they pay for natural gas or electricity and they probably will be able to guess within a factor of three. Ask
your neighbor about the embedded costs for the chemicals, materials,
plastics, and solvents that are derived from the same fossil energy sources
and they probably won’t even understand your question. The simplest reason that we developed incentives for biofuels is that consumers are constantly reminded of the price of fuel. The original driver for biofuels
incentives was to create a market for agriculture products, but public acceptance grew from constant reminders of fuel prices. Biobased products do
not provide immediate and continuous price feedback so they haven’t
generated public support for policy incentives.
In this book we cover the opportunities, challenges, benefits, and risks of
commercializing biobased products. As expected in a science and engineering series, we include chapters that consider feedstocks, conversions, and
processing technology, as well as several potential products. There have been
several books and journal issues dedicated to biobased products. Most of
these publications have used experts to describe integrated processes to
produce either specific biobased products or classes of products. Our intention is to expand the breadth of the reader’s knowledge by considering
supply chains, environmental impact, policy status, economic analysis, and
a conjecture for a path forward. Therefore the aim of this book is to provide a

comprehensive view of the state of the industry rather than the state of the
technology.
In Chapter 2, ‘‘The Changing Landscape: a History and Evolution of Biobased Products’’, Petersen and Fitzgerald highlight the development and
history of biobased products. The authors cover the growth of the industry
and the range of end markets. The authors describe how changes in priorities along with advances in technology have created cycles of opportunity
and deployment. They highlight the rationale and use of these materials and
their expectations of growth. Petersen and Fitzgerald have both served as
program managers at the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) of the US
Department of Energy (DOE). In that role they have been exposed to the
emergence of the field and reviewed and monitored a major fraction of the
cutting edge ideas and concepts in the bioeconomy. Petersen also led biobased products and bioenergy research programs at the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory (NREL). In that role, Petersen was the co-author of the
2004 report ‘‘Top Chemicals from Biomass’’, the most highly cited and
impactful study of the field.
In Chapter 3, ‘‘Bioenergy Crops: Delivering More than Energy’’, Negri and
Ssegane indicate that much of the impacts of bioenergy and biomaterial
cropping depend on how large scale deployment will occur. Designing production systems that purposefully incorporate sustainability objectives or
ecosystem services along with the biomass feedstock is possible. The authors


An Introduction to Commercializing Biobased Products

3

report the benefits of perennials over traditional row crops. Perennials such
as switchgrass, miscanthus, other perennial grasses, and short rotation
woody crops share a deeper root system, a general better ability to thrive on
poorer soils, a lower dependence on fertilizer inputs, and at least for some,
management options that can be friendly to wildlife. The authors indicate
that they can design bioenergy landscapes that balance productivity and

environmental performance, are socially acceptable and deliver much more
than bioenergy and biobased products. Negri is a leader in sustainable
bioenergy landscape design and has implemented phytotechnologies to
improve environmental performance across the Midwest and Europe. She
works closely with the DOE bioenergy technologies office on achieving sustainable landscape designs.
In Chapter 4, ‘‘Butanol Production by Fermentation: Efficient Bioreactors’’, Mariano, Ezeji, and Qureshi use their work as an example of
butanol production to describe microbiology and fermentation technology.
Butanol is a valuable solvent and has potential as a biofuel. They describe
some of the classic limitations to fermentation where product inhibition
limits product yields and concentrations. Low fermentation concentrations
increase energy use for product recovery. The authors describe novel bioreactors for butanol fermentation using different advanced fermentation
systems such as free cell continuous, immobilized cell continuous and cell
recycle continuous membrane reactors, and integrated continuous processes where product can be simultaneously recovered using energy efficient
product recovery techniques. Ezeji and Qureshi have collaborated since Ezeji
was a graduate student in the laboratory of Dr Hans Blashek of the University
of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
In Chapter 5, ‘‘Catalysis’s Role in Bioproducts Update’’, Magrini-Bair,
Vardon, and Beckham define the major classes of reactions including dehydration, decarboxylation, decarbonylation, hydrogenolysis, esterification,
and ketonization. The goal of most biomass catalysis is to create market
value from oxygenated feedstocks and they present a crosscutting review of
the progress over the past decade. Magrini-Bair leads a catalysis program at
NREL and has collaborated with a range of academic, national laboratory,
and industrial researchers.
In Chapter 6, ‘‘Separations Technologies for Biobased Product Formation—
Opportunities and Challenges’’, Singh, Kumari, and Datta indicate that separations technologies can contribute 50% to overall production costs. The
authors identify and define key separations technologies platforms for producing biobased products. They focus on broad classes of oxygenated species.
Within each separations platform they define the driving forces, the target
species, the specific benefits and limitations. Before becoming a Professor in
India, Datta developed his expertise in separations in the US where he received
his PhD under Professor DB Bhattacharya (University of Kentucky) and as

served as a postdoctoral fellow with the editor at Argonne National Laboratory.
In Chapter 7, ‘‘Lignin as Feedstock for Fibers and Chemicals’’, Peretti,
Barton, and Teixeira Mendonca indicate that because of its resistance to


4

Chapter 1

degradation, lignin has primarily been used as an energy resource in biorefineries. Lignin has about 60% excess energy and is available as a valuable
carbon source. The authors focus on lignin structures that result from pretreatment technologies, and efforts to valorize that lignin through material
property modification or depolymerization. The authors indicate that only
2% of available lignin is currently used in commercial products. Successful
treatment technologies and broader classes of products are required for
beneficial use of this resource. Professor Peretti is a leader in North Carolina
State University’s forest products research program. Forest products are a
primary source of lignin.
In Chapter 8, ‘‘Update on Research and Development of Microbial Oils’’,
Liang discusses the opportunity for large-scale production of microbial oils.
The author indicates that there are a broad range of oleaginous microorganisms including yeasts, microalgae, fungi and bacteria capable of
accumulating intracellular oils or lipids. Two high-value products—
arachidonic acid and docosahexanoic acid—have reached commercial scale.
The author highlights key advances made in finding low cost and renewable
materials for microbial cultivation, identifying ways to improve oil/lipid
productivity either from a biochemical engineering perspective or through
systems biology approaches. The author suggests applications beyond lowvalue biodiesel. Professor Liang, a microbiologist by training, has developed
a research program in biobased products and biofuels that spans the
pathway from strain development through efficient product recovery.
In Chapter 9, ‘‘Bioprocessing of Cost-competitive Biobased Organic
Acids’’, Lin, Hestekin, Henry, and Sather indicate that the high cost of

product recovery is a major challenge to the production of organic acids. The
authors highlight a bioprocessing method that integrates upstream bioconversion and downstream product separation into a continuous process.
The bioprocess uses a membrane technology, resin wafer electrodeionization (RW-EDI), which results in a simpler bioprocess train with fewer unit
operations, better pH control, reduced product inhibition from the organic
acids, higher organic acid product concentrations and enhanced bioconversion rates and yields. They discuss the design and operation of the
system and performance at the bench scale and pilot scale. The authors
review the technical and economic viability for commercial production using
the platform. The authors are long-term collaborators of the editor. Lin is an
electrochemist with a long track record developing novel approaches for
electrochemically-driven processes. Professor Hestekin, the editor’s first
postdoctoral fellow, has developed a crosscutting research program from
strain selection through fermentation and product recovery.
In Chapter 10, ‘‘CO2 Conversion to Chemicals with Emphasis on Using
Renewable Energy/Resources to Drive the Conversion’’ Masel, Liu, Zhao,
Chen, Lutz, and Nereng discuss the growing field of CO2 utilization. The
authors summarize two approaches: first, one in which hydrocarbons react
with CO2 to produce useful products; and second, one in which electricity
from renewable energy is used to convert CO2 into useful products. There is


An Introduction to Commercializing Biobased Products

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still more fundamental and practical work to be done, but it looks likely that
both approaches will produce viable commercial processes within the next
few years. While chemicals from CO2 appear to outlie the core subject of this
book, it is important to recognize that use of CO2 achieves the primary goals
of biobased products, decreases dependence on fossil carbon sources and
decreases life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions. However, CO2 utilization

doesn’t enable growth of markets from agricultural feedstocks, the other
goal of the biobased supply chain. Masel is a well-established expert in CO2
utilization. Before founding Dioxide Materials, he was a professor at
the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where some of his former
PhD students went on to become members of the National Academy of
Engineering.
In Chapter 11, ‘‘Methodological Considerations, Drivers and Trends in the
Life Cycle Analysis of Bioproducts’’, Dunn, Adom, Sather, and Han assess the
relative environmental performance of bioproducts compared to their conventional (fossil-based) counterparts. The authors identify opportunities to
improve bioproducts’ environmental impacts. The authors examine the application of life cycle analysis (LCA) including treatment of bioproduct
feedstocks, conversion process analysis, and end-of-life assumptions. They
highlight the significance of bioproduct end-of-life treatment. A critical issue
in bioproduct LCA is treatment of co-products. The authors present results
for life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fossil energy consumption (FEC) for eight biobased products. With all biobased–fossil
product comparisons, the biobased products exhibited lower life-cycle GHG
emissions and FEC. The authors also consider life-cycle water consumption
because of concerns about water consumption used to grow biomass and
compare terrestrial feedstocks to algae. Dunn is a prime leader of bioenergy
life-cycle analysis for the DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office. The team’s
work is a primary driver for assessing the impact of new feedstocks, conversions, and products in the bioeconomy.
In Chapter 12, ‘‘Design and Planning of Sustainable Supply Chains for
Biobased Products’’, Park, Yue and You present a mathematical framework
to model and optimize a supply chain for industrial chemical products derived from biomass. The authors present a multi-objective, multi-period
mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model that takes various aspects
of the supply chain into account. They highlight the significant decisions
required for creating a successful supply chain and the impacts of location
and seasonality. The model is presented to co-optimize economic and
environmental objectives and includes a case study to verify its viable
functionality. Professor You is a highly cited academic who has achieved an
h-index of 31 within his first four years as a faculty member.

In Chapter 13, ‘‘US Government Bioproducts Policy ‘Watch What We Do,
Not What We Say’’’, Kozak compares past speeches, commissioned reports
and press releases to applicable legislation. The author highlights the lack
of legislative, regulatory, or spending frameworks necessary to implement
the stated bioproduct policy. The author indicates that legislation allows


6

Chapter 1

government agencies to avoid purchasing bioproducts as part of their normal course of business in contrast to the goal of becoming a first adopter.
The author also examines how the divestment of downstream refining by
integrated petroleum majors prevented the US biobased products industry
from creating an effective bioproducts policy on their own. Kozak is the cofounder of Advanced Biofuels USA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on increasing the professional and layman’s knowledge of the state
and potential impact of the bioeconomy.
In Chapter 14, ‘‘Study on Investment Climate in Bio-based Industries in
the Netherlands’’, Dammer and Carus present a study of the barriers faced
by small companies active in biobased economy when they want to acquire
investment for their businesses. The study uses interviews and literature
reviews and is focused exclusively on biobased chemicals and materials, not
on food, feed or energy produced from biomass. The objective was to assess
the investment climate for biobased industries in the Netherlands in comparison to other countries. In comparison to Chapter 13, the climate in
Europe is quite distinct from the US and is partially a driver for the essay in
Chapter 16. Carus is the Director of nova-Institute for Ecology and Innovation, the primary research institute highlighting the state of the European
bioeconomy.
In Chapter 15, ‘‘A Monte Carlo-based Methodology for Valuing Refineries
Producing Aviation Biofuel’’, Blazy, Pearlson, Miller and Bartlett present an
analysis relating uncertainty in market and policy conditions to their impact
on the long-term economics of biorefineries. While some readers may not

consider aviation biofuels as biobased products, the competition between
land-based transportation fuels and aviation biofuels for feedstock and
biorefinery capacity is very complementary to supply chain challenges in
biobased products. The authors describe a methodology for analysing capital budgeting decisions and valuation under uncertainty for such investments and indicate that the methodology can be used as a decision making
tool for investment decision timing. The authors employ a commercially
available technology for producing aviation-grade biofuel and renewable
diesel for the assessment with well-understood capital and operating costs.
The authors evaluate how the distribution of net present values (NPVs) using
a discounted cash flow model was used to determine the profitability of such
a project over its economic life. They include price uncertainty and government mandates and report that price support policies are necessary to reduce the uncertainty of profitability to commercially acceptable levels. Blazy
initiated this analysis at Massachusetts Institute of Technology based on
analytical tools developed by Pearlson. The analysis was completed as part of
a study by the Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels Initiative (MASBI) in
2013. Blazy collaborated closely with the editor on this project and it served
as a primary driver for Chapter 16.
In Chapter 16, ‘‘A Path Forward: Investment Cooperation between the
United States and China in a Bioeconomy’’, Snyder proposes that the US
collaborates with China to build a binational biobased products industry.


An Introduction to Commercializing Biobased Products

7

As highlighted throughout this book, the US has substantial technical expertise in the field but lacks the economic and policy drivers to foster the
industry. Society needs in China change the risk profile for investment and
could become the tool to promote partnering on joint projects in which the
countries develop parallel supply chains without directly competing for
product markets. Snyder served as Argonne National Laboratory’s bioenergy
technology leader for a decade where he was engaged in production technologies across the bioeconomy supply chain. He developed this idea by

synthesizing concepts developed by the Henry Paulson Institute on cooperation with China on environmentally sustainable projects with analysis from
MASBI on risk barriers to commercialization in the bioeconomy.
In Commercializing Biobased Products we present a comprehensive view
of the history, feedstocks, conversion technologies, products, impacts, policy, and economics of the industry. We believe that this broad view will
provide a useful tool for the reader to consider the entire process to realize
this industry. Many researchers have dedicated their careers to growing the
industry and have experienced repeated frustrations as promising technologies and products do not cross the ‘‘valley of death’’. Success requires
strong technology. Success also requires coherent policy that provides incentive to commercialize technologies and products that offer environmental and economic benefits to society.