Replacing oil with wood for the production of chemicals

Two research projects of the National Research Programme Resource Wood have developed new processes to replace petroleum with wood for the production of important chemicals. These precursors are used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, plastics or fertilisers. Petroleum means fuel, but not only: petrochemicals are a core ingredient of the chemical industry. Without oil, there would be no plastics and few pharmaceuticals or fertilisers. Finding a renewable resource as an alternative to oil will be crucial to face the foreseeable decline in oil extraction. Two research projects of the National Research Programme Resource Wood (NRP 66) have made significant advances towards replacing oil with biomass derived from plants, in particular from wood. Their goals are complementary, as each one uses one of the two main constituents of wood: cellulose and lignin.