Renewable Resources

Manufacturing of organic chemicals has, historically, been largely dependent on petroleum feedstocks, a finite resource which is becoming increasingly expensive and is in need of renewable replacements. Green chemistry is helping to drive forward the uptake of renewable resources as a substitute for fossil feedstocks and to move towards a more circular economy approach in resource utilisation.  [1]

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module you should:

• Understand the need to change the current sources of raw materials;
• Understand the different types of renewable materials available to us;

and be able to:

• Define what a platform molecule is;
• Describe the main components of biomass.