Methodology for Identification on High Value Biomass Feedstocks

Up until the early twentieth century, several commodity chemicals were produced by the pyrolysis of hardwoods (e.g., methanol, acetic acid, acetone) or the extraction of softwoods (turpentine, terpenes, rosins, pitches, and tars). The expected long term increase in petroleum and natural gas prices will cause a gradual but steady return to biomass feedstocks over the next several decades. Other drivers include the presence of oxygenated functional groups in biomass liquids which may be desirable in the end products and environmental considerations which favor biomass over fossil derived feedstocks. Renewable materials from home-grown crops, trees and agricultural wastes can provide many of the same chemical building blocks as the petrochemical industry, plus others that are not readily available from petroleum. This project will produce a methodology for the evaluation of the resource potential of these materials and will greatly benefit the rural economy.