Plants in market for every day products

Dec 6 2008 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

Environment Editor Tony Henderson on work which could see plants providing for most of our everyday needs.

A VISION of everyday products being made from renewable plant material was outlined at a North East conference.

The International Bioresources conference, held at Hardwick Hall in Sedgefield, County Durham, investigated how scientists and engineers are working towards producing everything from detergents, medicines, paints and plastics to energy and transport fuels from specially-grown crops.

Dr Stan Higgins, who was instrumental in bringing the conference to the region, is chief executive of the North East Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC), which has bases in Sunderland and Teesside and represents around 500 companies employing 34,000 people directly and another 280,000 indirectly in supply chains.

He said: “Scientists, engineers and farmers are all keen to help each other develop new products and processes from renewable materials. They have applied from all over Europe to make presentations to our summit.”

Dr Higgins said that research had been continuing into the use of carbon-absorbing plants in manufacturing to address the threat of climate change.

Plants, like oilseed rape, sugar cane and wheat, were already providing biofuels, some biodegradable plastics and other products.

“The technology exists, but the big question we are asking is how many other things can we make from these renewable materials and how can we develop processes which make them more cheaply,” said Dr Higgins.

Plastics can be made from cellulose material from coppiced woodland and willow, while rapidly-growing grasses are another source.

“In the lab we can do lots of things, but we need to develop processes which allow us to do it on a large scale to make it economically viable,” said Dr Higgins.

“This is not something out of Dan Dare because we are doing it now. We are growing fuel for cars in fields.

“In 10 years’ time there will be many more items on the market being produced from renewable materials, and also waste material.

“It is a big opportunity for farmers, although agriculture is already an important provider of raw materials. But we need to grow the number of products we can make from agriculture.”

The conference was chaired by North East farmer John Seymour, who is also chairman of the regional strategy board for transport biofuels.

He said: “This was an important forum for scientists and industrialists to discuss with agriculturalists the potential to effectively make the products of the future.

“Farmers can then begin to understand how we can support these new supply chains with the crops they need.

“The fact that these international scientists and engineers are coming reflects our standing in the world as a key location for the future of these industries.”

This was reflected in the work of North East universities and regional organisations like the Centre for Process Innovation, Renew and North East Biofuels.

“It is wonderful to see such a range of leading scientists, engineers and agronomists share their experience of the products of tomorrow while at the same time endeavouring to make today’s products from renewable bioresources,” said Mr Seymour.

Warwick Lywood is technology and planning manager of energy group Ensus, which plans to open a £250m bioethanol plant on Teesside next year.

Bioethanol is used as a petrol substitute and is mainly produced by a sugar fermentation process.

The main bioethanol crops include corn, maize and wheat crops, waste straw, sugar beet, willow, grasses, Jerusalem artichoke, myscanthus and sorghum There is also ongoing research and development into the use of municipal solid wastes to produce ethanol fuel.

Mr Lywood said of the food versus biofuel crops debate: “Wheat and maize will make more land available for agriculture because biofuel production from these crops will also provide high volumes of animal feed at the same time.”

Malcolm Shepherd, of Biofuel Matters Limited, said that as cellulosic technology develops it is hoped straw and other grasses will be more widely used as a raw material for products such as detergents, cosmetics, paints and plastics.