## 1.3 The basic principles of a biobased economy

The European Commission describes a biobased economy as an economy that integrates the full range of natural and renewable biological resources – land and sea resources and biological materials (plant, animal and microbial) – and the processing and consumption of these bio-resources. The biobased economy encompasses agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food and biotechnology and industrial sectors, ranging from the production of energy carriers and chemicals to buildings and transport. In this respect, a biobased economy is nothing new. Before the industrial revolution economies were mainly biobased. New developments comprise a broad range of technological solutions which could be applied in these sectors to enable growth and sustainable development. A biobased economy, therefore, makes more widespread use of biomass to replace fossil-based resources.

To ensure that a biobased economy is also a sustainable development 3 basic principles for a sustainable biobased economy are formulated.

1.3.1 Three principles

Principle 1: Use renewable resources which are available today for the needs of today

In the next chapter attention will be paid to the production of renewable resources (biomass) and it will be illustrated that the production of biomass has its limitations in terms of required inputs (for example nitrogen and phosphorus). Moreover, biomass annually averaged efficiency using photosynthesis to form biomass is restricted to 3-6 % of the incoming radiation. So, when the production of renewable resources knows a certain maximum, the rate of the consumption of biomass should not exceed this maximum. In other words: the production of biomass has to be in pace with the consumption of bioproducts.

Principle 2: Use every part of the biomass

Many cultivated plants are grown for one specific purpose or prime ingredient. For example soy or grass is produced because of the protein it contains, sun flowers and rape seed because of the oil, and maize (corn) and sugar cane because of the sugars. In the figure below an illustration is given off the utilization of all different parts of the plant, in this case hemp.

Hemp production and valorisation: which products can be made from hemp?

Principle 3: If possible, use the most valuable parts of the biomass for the most added value products

The easiest way to convert biomass into a product is to combust it and produce energy. Burning wood is world-wide the most common method to produce heat. Think of the use of dead wood in developing countries. Although this is a good example of a biobased practice it can be questioned whether this is the most ecologically desirable and economically profitable way.

Converting biomass to energy is depicted at the bottom of the Value Pyramid. The market for energy is large (everyone needs energy) , but the market price is low. The market for fine chemicals or pharmaceuticals is small but the price of these products is high. The intention is to convert the most valuable parts of a plant to a product with a high added value. The principle entails optimal value utilization meaning that those substances or materials that can be used in high quality products are isolated first. So, a medicinal plant rich in special plant compounds is in the first instance used to produce pharma. In second instance, applications of remaining components of the plant are being sought in the lower regions of the pyramid. Taking manure as biomass stream, two high value applications are (1) the production of a mineral concentrate as a replacement for an artificial fertiliser or (2) the production of card board from the fibres. Low value applications are converting the biomass to energy, in the case of manure, to biogas.

The sum of the highest possible economic values of all the various components of biomass, makes that biomass as a product can have a higher value for the producers than if the entire product is used only for production of electricity or heat.

1.3.2 Biorefinery

To realise principle 3 Biorefinery is a necessity. Biorefinery is the processing of biomass into a spectrum of value-added products (chemicals, materials, feed and food) and energy (biofuels, heat and power). The biorefinery concept is similar to petrochemical refinery, and depending on its feedstock and processes it could be sustainable (biomass) or not (fossil resources).

Biorefineries exploit all of the elements of biomass, recycling secondary products and side streams of the reaction into valuable products, even producing the energy which powers the process itself. In this respect, the concept is analogous to a petroleum refinery, where oil is refined into many marketable products including chemicals, energy and fuels.

The use of all components of the biomass has a positive impact on both economics and the environment. Typically, a mix of high-value, low-volume products (such as fuels and energy) and low-value, high-volume products (cosmetics and nutraceuticals) are produced in a biorefinery. The high-value products enhance profitability, the low-value products provide scale.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyEu2KJRBeY

Example grass refinery

The illustration below shows the great diversity of ingredients of grass: proteins, fibres, lipids, minerals etc. A much higher value per ton grass can be achieved when all components can be extracted and converted to products. Grass as a raw material has a market price of 50- 70 euros per ton whereas the separated components represent a value of 700 - 800 euros per ton. In chapter 3.1. attention will be paid to the technological aspects of grass refinery.

Grass contains 10-20 % dry matter. The dry matter contains valuable ingredients for a biobased economy. The numbers in yellow indicate the value per ton.