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(Reference retrieved automatically from SciELO through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

The petrochemical industry in the next century: how to replace petroleum as raw material

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Author(s):
Ulf Schuchardt [1] ; Marcelo L. Ribeiro [2] ; Adilson R. Gonçalves [3]
Total Authors: 3
Affiliation:
[1] Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Instituto de Química
[2] Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Instituto de Química
[3] Faculdade de Engenharia Química de Lorena. Departamento de Biotecnologia
Total Affiliations: 3
Document type: Journal article
Source: Química Nova; v. 24, n. 2, p. 247-251, 2001-04-00.
Abstract

The world reserves of petroleum will finish in about 100 years. For a tropical country like Brazil, biomass will be the natural substitute for petroleum. For the best utilization of biomass, it first needs to be separated into its principal components: cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignins, vegetable and essential oils, non-structural carbohydrates, bark and foliage. All feedstocks for the chemical industry can be obtained from these biomass components, as shown in the first part of this paper. In the second part we discuss how the major products from petrochemicals can be obtained from the different biomass components. We show that Brazil can use different strategies, compared to other countries, to obtain petrochemical products, which could result in innovations. However, it is necessary that the government starts to invest immediately in order to keep the petrochemical industries competitive with foreign industries, so that they continue to be one of Brazil's major employers. (AU)