Green Chemistry, Biocatalysis, and the Chemical Industry of the Future

Green Chemistry, Biocatalysis, and the Chemical Industry of the Future

Sheldon, R.A. (TU Delft BT/Biocatalysis; University of Witwatersrand)
Brady, Dean (University of Witwatersrand)

2022

In the movement to decarbonize our economy and move away from fossil fuels we will need to harness the waste products of our activities, such as waste lignocellulose, methane, and carbon dioxide. Our wastes need to be integrated into a circular economy where used products are recycled into a manufacturing carbon cycle. Key to this will be the recycling of plastics at the resin and monomer levels. Biotechnology is well suited to a future chemical industry that must adapt to widely distributed and diverse biological chemical feedstocks. Our increasing mastery of biotechnology is allowing us to develop enzymes and organisms that can synthesize a widening selection of desirable bulk chemicals, including plastics, at commercially viable productivities. Integration of bioreactors with electrochemical systems will permit new production opportunities with enhanced productivities and the advantage of using a low-carbon electricity from renewable and sustainable sources.

biocatalysis
circular economy
decarbonization
defossilization
waste valorization

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1e68bb52-37e8-438e-ba1e-ea62e592a414

https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202102628

2022-07-13

1864-5631

ChemSusChem (Print): chemistry & sustainability, energy & materials, 15 (9)

Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.

Institutional Repository

review

© 2022 R.A. Sheldon, Dean Brady