Wood as resource for chemicals: Modern approach for optimum utilization without hampering its conventional use

Abstract

Due to the dependence on petroleum to supply energy and chemical needs many countries have experienced problems because of declining reserves, increased demands, and political problems in oil exporting nations, which have also created problems for oil-importing countries. Demand on renewable resources to meets the needs for energy and carbon based chemicals in the wake of eventual depletion of fossil oil and natural gas reserves. Furfural, lignin, vanillin can be synthesized by extraction process from which vanillin and furfural are costlier products, which makes the process economically viable. Material balance was done to understand the material composition of wood. Comparison and costing of various process of are also evaluated which resulting into inexpensive than petroleum. A long-term solution would be to use renewable resources to produce many of the hydrocarbons. So, this work aims at finding feasible ways extracting the valuable chemicals such as furfural, lignin, vanillin, etc. from wood.