BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Organic materials such as cellulose fibres, coconut fibres, starch plastics, fibre boards and paper foams can directly substitute for petrochemical products in end-use applications, according to the report “Renewable Energy for Industry” jointly released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and China Economic Information Service (CEIS) of Xinhua News Agency on November 9.
According to the report, textile materials (mainly viscose and acetate) can be produced from wood pulp and as by-products from cotton processing. Producing ethylene from bioethanol is technically relatively straightforward, and some companies are already doing it on a large scale.
Moreover, cellulosic ethanol conversion, based on forestry and agriculture sector residues, seems a more promising alternative as it entails much less competition for land and much lower indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Cellulosic ethanol is currently being produced on a commercial scale in Brazil, China, India, Europe and the United States, in diverse demonstration plants that are the first of their kind, says the report. (Edited by Zhou Yuran)
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