A review of operating biorefineries displays a range of technology solutions undergoing commercial development – beyond just advanced biofuels – to produce commodity and specialty renewable chemicals. Industrial biotechnology companies are pursuing renewable chemicals and biobased materials because they can be commercialized at production manufacturing scale and at low volumes, as well as promise environmental benefits, stable costs and novel properties in comparison to fossil fuel-derived chemicals. Competition to produce platform renewable chemicals provides manufacturers assurance of a steadily available, high-quality supply of renewable chemicals for consumer product applications. Continue reading →