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Oléagineux, Corps Gras, Lipides. Volume 19, Number 1, 39-50, Janvier-Février 2012, Dossier lipochimie

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Author(s) : Guillaume Chollet, Benoit Gadenne, Carine Alfos, Henri Cramail

Summary : Currently, the dependence of the chemical industry on fossil fuels is very important (95 % of chemicals from fossil fuels). In addition, the scarcity of non-renewable resources is one – with climate change, pollution, increasing population, limited water resources and biodiversity erosion – of the sustainable development challenges. The use of renewable resources appears as an alternative or even a priority in order to solve the challenges of sustainability. The French chemical industry is a very active area with a GDP of around 18 billion euros and 1.3 billion euros of investment in research and development. However, the sector also faces a number of difficulties due to the decreased activity of its petrochemical industries, the phenomena of offshoring and concentrations. Indeed, the development of new bio-based materials is a major challenge and vegetable oils can be a source of such bio-based materials.

Keywords : lipid, polyols, polyurethanes, bio-based polymers