Towards a smaller scale in the biobased economy. But why, and to what extent?
Many researchers claim that the biobased economy will be organised at a smaller scale than the present economy. On this website we held the same opinion. Chemical plants would become smaller, and located more closely to their feedstock supplier (agriculture). Energy supply would decentralise even more radically: people might produce their energy anywhere from solar
‘Some day, the plant might be worth more than the tomato’
Plants contain many valuable compounds, even in parts usually discarded after the harvest. For instance, waste products from growing paprika (discarded fruit, leaves, binding materials) contain many carbohydrates, sugars and valuable micronutrients like colouring agents, vitamins and antioxidants. The Dutch horticultural sector (in particular the Kenniscentrum Plantenstoffen, Knowledge Centre for Vegetal Substances) has started an
The battle of the burgers
Juiciness, that was the missing element in this week’s synthetic burger. But hopes are high. Within twenty years we will all have the opportunity to buy a burger that did not cost a cow’s life. However, we can do just that right now: the vega burger, for sale in Dutch vegetarian butcher shops, is tasty
Flax fibre instead of glass fibre
Synthetic and glass fibres have never completely substituted natural fibres. On the contrary, there is a growing interest for application of natural fibres in composite materials – biobased or not, biodegradable or not – and as an insulating construction material. Natural fibres have one third less weight than glass fibres, and have other advantages on
North-western Europe, supplier of industrial feedstock: sugar
North-western Europe may become a feedstock supplier. Not a supplier of natural gas, but of sugar. A major opportunity for the chemical industry, and a possible breakthrough for the biobased economy. What has changed? North-western Europe has been producing sugar for a long time. Although we could produce more, European regulation sets quota, limiting each
Phosphorus recovery, an urgent matter
Phosphorus is an essential element in the formation of vegetal and animal biomass. But whereas living organisms can use oxygen and nitrogen from the air for their processes, phosphorus is only available as a mineral, in the form of phosphate. The resources are limited – enough for some decades of use – and many of
