Biorefineries will be integral to the future economy

From Retrospective to Prospective. Analysis based on performance data is of necessity backward looking. Yet, biorefineries will be integral to the future economy. For those reasons, it is also useful to indulge in well-grounded foresight.

Beyond established markets, environmentally friendly and energy-saving bioprocessing technologies and products from biorefineries may be targeted at potentially rapidly growing markets for the following:

• alternative fuels such as ethanol, hydrogen, butanol and other derivatives
• other chemical feedstocks
• enhanced oil recovery using carbon dioxide for lighter fuels, and surfactants and soaps for
• recovering heavier reserves
• fine chemicals often as valuable by-products from bulk commodity production.