Green Chemistry and Green Materials from Plant Oils and Natural Acids

Book excerpt: There is an increasing awareness that materials and chemicals produced from fossil fuels are not sustainable, both in terms of the pollution caused by the extraction and production processes, and the fact that there is only a finite supply of these fossil fuels. Therefore, there is a strong incentive to find sources for chemicals and materials from source materials that we know we can continue to generate. Plants are a source of a wide variety of chemicals, many with interesting properties, and these chemical feedstocks are considered renewable rather than finite. Green Chemistry and Green Materials from Plant Oils and Natural Acids covers the application of these natural materials in producing polymers, lubricants and plasticisers.