GAPRI Factsheet #1

Bio-Products: New Technology Using An Old Idea

In Iowa, we all know that ethanol can be made from corn, and biodiesel from soybeans, but did you know that a lot of useful chemicals can be made from a variety of other plants? In fact, as far back as the 1930s, Henry Ford was building concept cars that ran on 100% ethanol and had plastic bodies and upholstery made of plant fiber. Only recently, with high oil prices and unstable politics in the Middle East, are people again seeing the true advantages of bio-based products.

What Are Bio-Products?

The National Renewable Energy Labs at the U.S. Department of Energy describe bio-products like this:

“The petrochemical industry makes a myriad of products from fossil fuels. These plastics, chemicals, and other products are integral to modern life. The same or similar products can, for the most part, be made from biomass. Sources of biomass include food crops, grassy and woody plants, residues from agriculture or forestry, and the organic components of municipal and industrial wastes.

The processes are similar. The petrochemical industry breaks oil and natural gas down to base chemicals and then builds desired products from them. Biofuel technology breaks biomass down to component sugars, and biopower technology breaks biomass down to carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Fermentation, chemical catalysis, and other processes can then be used to create new products.

Bio-products that can be made from sugars include antifreeze, plastics, glues, solvents, artificial sweeteners, and gel for toothpaste…photographic films, textiles, and synthetic fabrics…wood adhesives, molded plastic, and foam insulation.”

The History of Bio-Products

Humankind has traditionally used "bio-based products" or "agricultural products" from the beginning of our existence.  Plant fiber, wood and animal products were all used by our ancestors to manufacture tools, rope, textiles, dyes, paints, solvents, oil, and all of the other things needed to fuel our development.

During the first 100 years of the United States, when farmers made up over half of the nation's workforce, agriculturally based products dominated the marketplace. Cotton, hemp, flax and other crops were grown for oil and fiber alongside food crops. In 1791, George Washington set duties on foreign hemp products to encourage domestic production, and by the time Abraham Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation in 1863 by the light of a hemp-oil lamp, it had become the leading fiber and oil crop in the nation. In 1870, John Wesley Hyatt trademarked "Celluloid", a plant-based product which was the first thermoplastic material or what we now simply call "plastic". In 1895, Rudolph Diesel ran the first diesel engines on peanut oil, and in 1905, Henry Ford built the first Model T to run on ethanol.

Unfortunately for America's farmers, the beginning of the 20th century marked the end of the era of agriculturally based chemicals. In 1901, the "Spindletop Gusher" in Pennsylvania marked the beginning of the petroleum era and the rapid rise to political power of companies like Standard Oil, Dupont and General Motors. In 1919, Prohibition effectively ended ethanol production, and in 1937, the U.S. government effectively taxed and regulated hemp out of production, one year after Dupont patented nylon.

Agricultural products enjoyed a brief comeback during the oil shortages of World War II, but it wasn't until the OPEC oil embargo in the 1970's that governments and industries around the world began to take a serious look at the potential of plant based alternatives to Middle East crude. At that time, Brazil's leaders began subsidizing ethanol made from sugar cane. Brazil currently leads the world in ethanol production, exceeding 4.2 billion gallons per year, with the United States in second place. In the U.S., Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) lead the effort to re-start the ethanol industry, and ADM has grown to become the largest producer of ethanol in the US, with current capacity of 1,070 million gallons per year—some 26% of our current total national capacity, according to figures from the Renewable Fuels Association. ADM plans to increase its capacity by 50%.

According to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, Iowa is currently home to 28 ethanol plants with a capacity of 1.5 billion gallons, as well as 13 biodiesel plants with a capacity of 93.5 million gallons. Additionally, Iowa-based companies are leading the way in the fields of ag-based lubricants, solvents, oils and cleaners (see GAPRI factsheet # 2).

The Future of Bio-Products in Iowa

Ethanol from corn and biodiesel produced from soybeans are just the first step toward an integrated approach to building a more energy efficient, economically viable bio-products industry. The concept of a "biorefinery" is one approach - developing industrial processing for ag-based products that would mimic the refining process used by the petroleum industry. Using this model, fuels, oils, lubricants, solvents and other industrial chemicals could all be produced at the same facility using biomass feedstocks.

Another important step in the progress toward replacing petroleum with renewable resources is the development of alternative feedstocks. Corn and soybeans are the focus of current production, because of they are currently the most common agricultural commodity. Perennial grasses like switchgrass are high-yielding  sources for cellulose which can be converted to ethanol, as are high sugar crops like beets and sorghum. Oilseed crops such as rapeseed, sunflowers and hemp hold promise for increased biodiesel production. 

The ideas behind bio-products are not new, and much of the technology is proven and time-tested.  However, after spending nearly a century lost in the shadow of cheap petroleum, it will take commitment from both the private and public sector to move away from our dependence on foreign oil and back to the bio-product technologies that will enable us to rely on clean, renewable and locally grown agriculturally-based energy resources.

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"This material was prepared with the support of the United State's Department of Energy. However, any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the DOE."

For a complete set of references and links to other information on bioproducts, visit www.gotoplanb.net/gapri