Bio-Economy: Chances, Risks, and Perspectives for the System as a Whole

The challenges for humanity are clear: We need to reduce the consumption of fossil resources and substitute them by sustainable technologies. This implies the use of renewable feedstock also in chemical industry like bio-based raw material or carbon dioxide. On the different options for feedstock and for technologies to be applied a lot has been published. Why one or the other of the multitude of options is more promising than the other may not always be obvious. To gain some realistic insight, the feedstock change is put into perspective with the overall challenges of humanity, namely climate change, energy transition, and world hunger. As a result it becomes obvious that the feedstock change may be required within a relatively short transition period. The major feedstock and technology options are discussed and put into relation to these boundary conditions and among each other. Main focus is on bulk chemicals like polymers. Some promising principal routes are described addressing also the practical challenges of their realization, e.g. including supply, conversion, and distribution.