There is currently a rapid growth in interest in the use of renewable resources and, in particular, bio-resources for the manufacture of sustainable chemicals and materials. This movement has been encouraged by end-user concerns over the security of supply (for products based on traditional but diminishing feedstocks), legislation forcing substitution of many common (typically petroleum-based) chemicals, new standards for bio-based products designed to stimulate the markets in Europe and the USA, incentives, and consumer pressure.

The first significant market movement in this direction was with biofuels, but the rush to produce these without proper consideration of competing uses for the resources or the efficiency of the manufacturing processes lead to considerable debate over the true sustainability of the products and processes. With increasing pressure in Europe, the USA and elsewhere to move towards bio-based chemicals, it is essential that the bio-economy is underpinned by sound and well-debated science and technology and that we embrace key chemical technologies including catalysis.

This volume addresses some of the critical issues in this field by bringing together experts from different but complementary areas of the chemical sciences. The topics covered include: Bio-based materials, Bio-based chemicals, Conversion technologies, and Feedstocks and analysis.