Production of Organic Chemicals Via Bioconversion: A Review of the Potential

The United States should develop alternative feedstocks for production of organic chemicals as a step in reducing dependence on foreign oil and to protect the US economy from oil supply disruptions. Potential alternative feedstocks include lignocellulose, polysaccharides, and sugars. These feedstocks can be converted to organic chemicals via bioconversion; sources include feedstock crops (lignocellulosic, polysac-charide, and sugar crops grown specifically for use as feedstocks in organic chemicals production) and industrial, municipal, and agricultural wastes. A wide range of chemicals can be produced via bioconversion, including existing commodity chemicals and entirely new chemicals and polymers. In this review, potential feedstocks are described and are shown to be sufficient to support a bioconversion -- based organic chemicals industry. In addition, the current US organic chemicals industry is briefly described. The potential of bioconversion for production of existing commodity chemicals and entirely new chemicals and polymers is discussed. 228 refs., 21 tabs.