Microbes in Production of Commodity Chemicals

Abstract

Commodity chemicals are inexpensive, have larger demands and are produced and sold in bulk. They generally are intermediates involved in the syntheses of high end products (Table 7.1). Initially the chemical industry was dependent on nonrenewable resources for virtually all commodity chemicals. The cost of the feedstocks for commodity chemicals is directly associated with the cost of the petroleum and hence represents 50–75 % of the manufacturing cost of the commodity chemicals. However, the enhanced cost of the petroleum and natural gas resources as well as considering their possible exhaustion in the future due to continuous industrial demand newer alternatives are being explored. One of the major technologies being explored by the industries in the USA, Europe and Japan is conversion of biomass into commodity chemicals using microbial interventions. Biomass generally comprises of crop and forest product wastes and municipal and agricultural wastes. Technologically it is possible to produce all the commodity chemicals from biomass feedstocks like starch and cellulose.