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J. L. Shamshina and R. D. Rogers
known and manageable marketing and supply costs. The tremendous potential of
chitin will soon be exploited for a number of industrial applications utilizing the full
potential of this IL-based platform.
Keywords Biomass · Biopolymers · Chitin · Commercialization · Ionic liquid ·
Process development · Product development · Renewable polymers
4.1 Introduction
4.1.1 More Plastic than Fish
With an increase in plastic production volume from about 2 million metric tons per
year in 1950 to over 400 million metric tons per year in 2015, the global plastics
market is expected to reach $654 billion by 2020 [1, 2]. At the same time, recent
data on the lifecycle of plastics worldwide from production to utilization to recycle
suggest that as much as 76% of all plastics produced to date have ended up as waste
[3]. Only 9% of this waste has been re-processed, 12% has been incinerated, and 79%
has accumulated worldwide. At the current plastic production rate, the amount of
plastic waste accrued in the environment will practically double by 2050 compared
with 2015 [2]. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation in its 2016 report [4] claimed that
if plastic continues to be manufactured at current rates with irresponsible disposal,
there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans by 2050 [5].
The enormous negative environmental impact of the plastics industry [6] has
resulted in a major reconsideration of the role of renewables in sustainable product
development. The classic definition of sustainable product development in valueadded products’ manufacture is the use of renewable resources, that is, resources
that can be used repeatedly and are being naturally replaced. The potential of polymers sourced from nature, or biopolymers isolated from biomass as a by-product of
agricultural, forestry, and marine ecosystems [7], are both vital components from a
sustainability and economic value standpoint.
4.1.2 Taking Full Advantage of What Nature Creates
The definition of biopolymers has less to do with chemistry and more to do with
semantics. Any chemist dealing with sustainable development in the last few years
has run into the recurrence of the term “renewable”, closely connected to “biorefinery”. The well-established biorefinery model is focused on bio-based chemicals
and products in which biomass is first converted into commodity building blocks
and high-value chemicals for high-volume global markets. The production of lowercost chemical building blocks is understandable, and ultimately, society must move
J. L. Shamshina and R. D. Rogers
known and manageable marketing and supply costs. The tremendous potential of
chitin will soon be exploited for a number of industrial applications utilizing the full
potential of this IL-based platform.
Keywords Biomass · Biopolymers · Chitin · Commercialization · Ionic liquid ·
Process development · Product development · Renewable polymers
4.1 Introduction
4.1.1 More Plastic than Fish
With an increase in plastic production volume from about 2 million metric tons per
year in 1950 to over 400 million metric tons per year in 2015, the global plastics
market is expected to reach $654 billion by 2020 [1, 2]. At the same time, recent
data on the lifecycle of plastics worldwide from production to utilization to recycle
suggest that as much as 76% of all plastics produced to date have ended up as waste
[3]. Only 9% of this waste has been re-processed, 12% has been incinerated, and 79%
has accumulated worldwide. At the current plastic production rate, the amount of
plastic waste accrued in the environment will practically double by 2050 compared
with 2015 [2]. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation in its 2016 report [4] claimed that
if plastic continues to be manufactured at current rates with irresponsible disposal,
there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans by 2050 [5].
The enormous negative environmental impact of the plastics industry [6] has
resulted in a major reconsideration of the role of renewables in sustainable product
development. The classic definition of sustainable product development in valueadded products’ manufacture is the use of renewable resources, that is, resources
that can be used repeatedly and are being naturally replaced. The potential of polymers sourced from nature, or biopolymers isolated from biomass as a by-product of
agricultural, forestry, and marine ecosystems [7], are both vital components from a
sustainability and economic value standpoint.
4.1.2 Taking Full Advantage of What Nature Creates
The definition of biopolymers has less to do with chemistry and more to do with
semantics. Any chemist dealing with sustainable development in the last few years
has run into the recurrence of the term “renewable”, closely connected to “biorefinery”. The well-established biorefinery model is focused on bio-based chemicals
and products in which biomass is first converted into commodity building blocks
and high-value chemicals for high-volume global markets. The production of lowercost chemical building blocks is understandable, and ultimately, society must move