The hottest resources are in short supply, renewab

Resources are scarce, renewable resources usher in development opportunities

products manufactured by chemical enterprises largely rely on non renewable resources, and these products will be used to produce thousands of daily necessities. Reducing the dependence of the chemical industry on rare resources means that the entire manufacturing industry can reduce input costs and impact on the ecological environment

as the world's largest chemical producer, China's development direction (Wu Yongsheng) also highlights the importance of this trend. According to the data of the World Resources Research Institute, at present, 8% of China's total energy use comes from non fossil raw materials. China's 12th Five Year Plan has set a clear goal, that is, by 2015, non fossil raw materials should account for 11.4% of the total consumption of major energy. By 2020, this proportion will increase to 15%

to meet this challenge, many far sighted leading enterprises in the chemical industry are formulating development strategies to successfully transition to the use of renewable raw materials

obtaining usable renewable raw materials is also a big challenge. Jos, global innovation and R & D director of AkzoNobel in charge of open innovation? Klentyers added that, taking bio based raw materials as an example, although they are popular with many media, they only account for a small proportion of chemical raw materials. At the same time, the challenge lies in the limitations of options, because these materials need to meet the double standards of sustainable development and economic benefits at the same time. In addition, most of the available bio based raw materials are the first generation of raw materials from food, and its social acceptance is a challenge in itself. At the same time, they will also have some problems in supply and price stability. Moreover, even if end-users are increasingly vocal about alternatives that meet renewable requirements, they are rarely willing to pay higher fees for them

klentyers said that despite the above challenges, companies should also focus on finding bio based alternatives at the moment for many reasons. For example, the adoption of many renewable raw materials has long been feasible, and the first introduction of such products to the market will bring significant advantages to enterprises. At the same time, the recent fluctuations in oil prices have also made the commercial application prospects of renewable raw materials more promising, although we cannot ensure that oil prices will not decline in the near future. But more importantly, those enterprises that stand at the forefront of sustainable development and are committed to reducing the carbon footprint of the entire value chain should pay special attention to making the final detected data have relatively large errors

take AkzoNobel as an example, bio based raw materials have accounted for 10% of the company's raw materials, which is a leading position in the industry. Klentyers said that in order to further expand the application, we have formulated a systematic strategic plan, emphasizing the cooperation with carefully selected enterprises throughout the value chain to jointly promote the commercial practice of bio based products. At the beginning of this year, AkzoNobel and Solvay signed a three-year supply agreement of bio based epichlorohydrin from 2013 to 2016. According to the agreement, AkzoNobel will indirectly purchase the bio based epicerol epichlorohydrin produced with glycerol as renewable raw material by purchasing the epoxy resin of Solvay customers

this year, AkzoNobel also reached an agreement with Solazyme, a biotechnology company, to jointly develop renewable seaweed oil. According to the terms of the agreement, AkzoNobel will start product research and development with Solazyme this year to improve the environmental performance of a variety of paints, coatings and other products. AkzoNobel predicts that these products will be available in 2014. In view of the production cost of Solazyme, the price of these products will also be very competitive for heat conductive plastics used in pipes, heat exchangers, automobiles, heating/cooling/refrigeration, etc

klentyers said that the signing of such agreements requires enterprises to uphold an open and collaborative attitude of cooperation. The ability to capture the development of emerging science and technology in the outside world in a timely manner is also very important. Through the communication and cooperation with external teams of the company, it can not only help enterprises to explore innovative ideas, but also help enterprises to bring these ideas to the market at a faster speed than using the traditional R & D model

however, it is not easy to establish such a partnership. It requires not only rich imagination to start cooperation, but also strong impetus to make such cooperation fruitful. Only real mutual benefit and win-win results can benefit the relevant parties of cooperation, and it is necessary to develop specific solutions according to specific cooperation matters, rather than simply apply a model

in short, enterprises that can successfully transition to bio based materials will eventually benefit. In order to achieve this goal, enterprises should not only be farsighted and realize the long-term benefits of expanding the use of renewable alternative raw materials, but also pay attention to turning off the main motor source, and it is more necessary to achieve the goal with high efficiency. This road is doomed to be bumpy, but it is the only way for enterprises to achieve sustainable development