The prospect of a biobased economy has recently been attracting significant attention in the world at large, and Europe in particular. Advocates say that bio-based products could bring new, innovative features, and provide alternatives to petrochemical  materials that have lower environmental footprints. Adversaries point to the fact that not enough biomass can be grown in Europe to meet local demand, and that such use of biomass would certainly compete with the production of food for humans and husbandry, already in scarce supply. In any case, where the chemical industry is concerned, the reduction of GHG emissions would be marginal; only ~ 5% of crude oil eventually is converted into chemical materials, with all else being used for as transportation fuel.

The CMG wants to initiate a broad discussion about the future of the bio-based economy, focusing in particular on whether the chemical industry will be able provide, profitably and on a large scale, so-called “bio-chemicals”, chemical products derived from bio-based inputs. With the KNCV sections, we would like to look at questions like:

- What type of products would be well-suited for substitution, and which not?

- Where can the chemical industry obtain suitable raw materials? Would they be cheaper than petrochemical-based materials?

- How much Greenhouse Gas would be saved, and at what cost?

With this first set of presentations and discussion at the Voorjaarsbijeenkomst, CM2G wants to kick off a broader, consultative process that will culminate in a round table meeting on June 1, 2010. In that meeting, with industry, academics and goverment we intend to contribute to a better articulation of where and how the Netherlands can make a real difference in the area of bio-based chemicals. We invite enthusiastic KNCV members to work with us on this day and beyond.

About the workshop facilitator

Dr. Peter Nieuwenhuizen is a Principal employed with Arthur D. Little in Rotterdam since 2006, where he focuses on the Chemicals & Energy sector, with a further emphasis on Business Strategy, Innovation and Sustainability, and Sales & Marketing.

Mr. Nieuwenhuizen studied at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, and obtained a cum laude Ph.D. in chemistry from Leiden University, The Netherlands. He has authored several popular-scientific and  > 20 academic publications. With Richard Koch, he wrote “Simply Strategy, the shortest route to the best strategy”, published with Financial Times Pearson.

Prior to his consulting work, Mr. Nieuwenhuizen was employed with Akzo Nobel, the chemicals and coatings conglomerate, where he carried out a number of assignments in R&D, business analysis & strategy, and Sales & Marketing. He lived in the USA for three years, is married and has two children.