BIOCHEMICALS, BIOMATERIALS, AND BIOINNOVATIONS – WHAT CAN WE GET FROM BIOMASS

Environmental changes and oil price has triggered an increased interest in bio-based energy, chemicals and materials in the last decades. Thou the oil price have been dropped recently due to new findings, the transformation towards bio-based economy will continue. EU has pumped hundred millions of EURO in sustainability related research and innovation projects. Sweden has followed the pattern and has been pushed towards the green economy by establishing the vision to create and develop a bio-based economy in the first half of the twenty-first century. Sweden is rich with non-edible bio-mass i.e. forest. Traditionally the forest was used in pulp and paper industry, but digitalization boom requires paradigm shift. Green materials and green chemicals were identified as a big potential. Ambitious research was started supported by Swedish government and industry. Some of the industrial initiatives are: -The new research agenda, NRA 2020, is the collective assessment of Swedish forest-based industries regarding research, development and demonstration, which is necessary for the sector to be able to contribute to achieving. - Chemical cluster in Western Sweden started an initiative called Sustainable Chemistry 2030 with the vision that their business will be based on renewable feedstock and energy and contribute to sustainable society