Biomass and the Green Chemistry Principles

Abstract

The need to develop renewable raw materials for industrial chemistry as a substitute for oil has been shown to be a strategic challenge for the twenty-first century. In this context, the use of plant biomass can be construed as both the alternative of using cheaper and less polluting raw materials and as a model of aggregation of economic value to the agro-industrial chains. Green chemistry (GC), based on 12 principles, emerged in the 1990s as a new philosophy in both academia and industry to break old paradigms of chemistry such as the generation of large amounts of waste and the intensive use of petrochemicals through a holistic view of processes in laboratories and industries. In the case of plant biomass, the seventh principle—use of renewable raw materials—is notable as a great strategic opportunity for segments related to several areas of GC worldwide. Thereby, biomass is a renewable source of a large variety of bioproducts, and green chemistry principles can be applied for its exploitation to promote sustainable processes and products. In this chapter, the application of GC principles, especially in conversion processes for biomass, is discussed with the aim to demonstrate their feasibility.