6
Chapter 1 · The Overview - Introduction
1
The question quickly arises: Could renewable
raw materials one day completely replace fossil
raw materials? Radio Yerevan replies: “In principle, yes!” However, this would still be far too
expensive at present, because despite the increase
in oil and natural gas prices in recent decades,
the use of renewable raw materials is still comparatively uneconomical in many cases.
In a very simplified scheme, . Fig. 1.3 attempts
to compare the paths of the fossil raw materials coal,
natural gas and crude oil (above) with the paths
based on the renewable raw materials fats, carbohydrates and lignin (below) to the intermediate and
end products of the chemical industry (right).
Follow the individual reaction arrows together
with us:
5 Currently, distillation cuts of crude oil in the
steamcracker are used to produce the important
olefins ethene, propene and butenes, and in
the reformer the important aromatics benzene,
toluene and xylenes (BTX). In addition, both
crude oil, natural gas and coal can be converted
into the synthesis gas of carbon monoxide and
hydrogen. From these relatively small molecules
(C1 to C8), the majority of chemical intermediates (alcohols, aldehydes, carboxylic acids,
amines …) is produced, which in turn are starting compounds for significant classes of chemical end products, e.g. polymers, surfactants,
pharmaceuticals or agrochemical chemicals. As
already mentioned at the beginning, coal can
also be converted via the intermediate stage of
acetylene into intermediates.
5 Fats, carbohydrates and lignin can also be gasified to synthesis gas. Since synthesis gas can
be converted into olefins and aromatics via the
intermediate stage of methanol (not shown in
. Fig. 1.3), the same basic chemicals and thus
the same intermediate and end products are
available from the renewable raw materials as
on the basis of fossil raw materials.
5 However, it is particularly advantageous if the
chemist succeeds in using the renewable raw
materials as directly as possible - i.e. without
“breaking down” the starting materials into
the synthesis gas - and producing end products such as biosurfactants or biopolymers
from fats and/or carbohydrates, for example.
In this case, the synthesis performance of
nature is fully exploited and the renewable
raw materials are converted into valuable
products with energy benefits.
The reasons for this will be explained in
more detail in the following chapters: Fats and
oils have very defined structures closely related
to petrochemical basic chemicals, while starch,
cellulose and lignin are composed of macromolecules with completely different structures. In
wood, lignin and cellulose are additionally linked
(lignocellulose), which makes their pure production and their subsequent chemistry even more
difficult. So, the chemical industry took the simpler (and cheaper) path and first developed an
extensive chemistry of fats and oils, the so-called
oleochemistry. Only in recent decades, increased
efforts have been made to exploit lignocellulose.
At the end of . Table 1.3, another important
comparison can be drawn, namely the ratio of
petrochemicals to the chemistry of renewable
raw materials in Germany. 17.7 million metric tons of petrochemicals were produced in
Germany in 2016 compared to 2.7 million metric tons of products on a renewable basis. This
means that the proportion of renewable raw
materials is around 13%, which is slightly lower
worldwide. This relatively high percentage is
partly due to the fact that more than 100 years
ago already pioneers such as Fritz Henkel set up
an extensive oleochemistry business in Germany.
The declared political goal of both the EU
and the USA at the beginning of the 2000s was
to increase the share of renewable raw materials
in chemical production to 20–25% by 2020, but
since the introduction of completely new chemical
processes requires careful process development of
several years, this goal was clearly too optimistic.
. Table 1.3 Consumption of renewable raw
materials in the chemical industry (Germany 2016)
Renewable resource
Consumption (t)
Oils and fats
1,170,000
Starch
296,000
Cellulose (pulp)
380,000
Sugar
156,000
Proteins
119,000
Others (natural fibers, waxes,
resins, etc.)
572,000
Sum: renewable resources
2,690,000
Cf. Petrochemicals
17,700,000
Share renewable resources
ca. 13%
Chapter 1 · The Overview - Introduction
1
The question quickly arises: Could renewable
raw materials one day completely replace fossil
raw materials? Radio Yerevan replies: “In principle, yes!” However, this would still be far too
expensive at present, because despite the increase
in oil and natural gas prices in recent decades,
the use of renewable raw materials is still comparatively uneconomical in many cases.
In a very simplified scheme, . Fig. 1.3 attempts
to compare the paths of the fossil raw materials coal,
natural gas and crude oil (above) with the paths
based on the renewable raw materials fats, carbohydrates and lignin (below) to the intermediate and
end products of the chemical industry (right).
Follow the individual reaction arrows together
with us:
5 Currently, distillation cuts of crude oil in the
steamcracker are used to produce the important
olefins ethene, propene and butenes, and in
the reformer the important aromatics benzene,
toluene and xylenes (BTX). In addition, both
crude oil, natural gas and coal can be converted
into the synthesis gas of carbon monoxide and
hydrogen. From these relatively small molecules
(C1 to C8), the majority of chemical intermediates (alcohols, aldehydes, carboxylic acids,
amines …) is produced, which in turn are starting compounds for significant classes of chemical end products, e.g. polymers, surfactants,
pharmaceuticals or agrochemical chemicals. As
already mentioned at the beginning, coal can
also be converted via the intermediate stage of
acetylene into intermediates.
5 Fats, carbohydrates and lignin can also be gasified to synthesis gas. Since synthesis gas can
be converted into olefins and aromatics via the
intermediate stage of methanol (not shown in
. Fig. 1.3), the same basic chemicals and thus
the same intermediate and end products are
available from the renewable raw materials as
on the basis of fossil raw materials.
5 However, it is particularly advantageous if the
chemist succeeds in using the renewable raw
materials as directly as possible - i.e. without
“breaking down” the starting materials into
the synthesis gas - and producing end products such as biosurfactants or biopolymers
from fats and/or carbohydrates, for example.
In this case, the synthesis performance of
nature is fully exploited and the renewable
raw materials are converted into valuable
products with energy benefits.
The reasons for this will be explained in
more detail in the following chapters: Fats and
oils have very defined structures closely related
to petrochemical basic chemicals, while starch,
cellulose and lignin are composed of macromolecules with completely different structures. In
wood, lignin and cellulose are additionally linked
(lignocellulose), which makes their pure production and their subsequent chemistry even more
difficult. So, the chemical industry took the simpler (and cheaper) path and first developed an
extensive chemistry of fats and oils, the so-called
oleochemistry. Only in recent decades, increased
efforts have been made to exploit lignocellulose.
At the end of . Table 1.3, another important
comparison can be drawn, namely the ratio of
petrochemicals to the chemistry of renewable
raw materials in Germany. 17.7 million metric tons of petrochemicals were produced in
Germany in 2016 compared to 2.7 million metric tons of products on a renewable basis. This
means that the proportion of renewable raw
materials is around 13%, which is slightly lower
worldwide. This relatively high percentage is
partly due to the fact that more than 100 years
ago already pioneers such as Fritz Henkel set up
an extensive oleochemistry business in Germany.
The declared political goal of both the EU
and the USA at the beginning of the 2000s was
to increase the share of renewable raw materials
in chemical production to 20–25% by 2020, but
since the introduction of completely new chemical
processes requires careful process development of
several years, this goal was clearly too optimistic.
. Table 1.3 Consumption of renewable raw
materials in the chemical industry (Germany 2016)
Renewable resource
Consumption (t)
Oils and fats
1,170,000
Starch
296,000
Cellulose (pulp)
380,000
Sugar
156,000
Proteins
119,000
Others (natural fibers, waxes,
resins, etc.)
572,000
Sum: renewable resources
2,690,000
Cf. Petrochemicals
17,700,000
Share renewable resources
ca. 13%