Foundation: Renewable resources

CHEM21 eLearning Programme

Renewable resources

Petroleum as a chemical feedstock

Dr. Tom Farmer, University of York

This resource has been created as part of the IMI funded CHEM21 project (Chemical Manufacturing Methods for the 21st Century Pharmaceutical Industries). CHEM21 has received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking under grant agreement n°115360, resources of which are composed of financial contribution from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) and EFPIA companies’ in kind contribution.

The views expressed in regards to education and training materials represent the aspiration of the CHEM21 consortium, although may not always be the view of each individual organisation. Referencing of external sources does not imply formal endorsement by the CHEM21 consortium.

Dependence on crude oil

The use of crude oil as a carbon feedstock for the manufacture of chemicals has dominated the industry with few exceptions, for example a small percentage of naturally-derived compounds (e.g. for use in personal care products and pharmaceuticals). [1] In this video Dr Tom Farmer at the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, University of York outlines where our dependence on crude oil derives from.

J. H. Clark, Green and Sustainable Chemistry: An Introduction, in Green and Sustainable Medicinal Chemistry: Methods, Tools and Strategies for the 21st Century Pharmaceutical Industry, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2016, ch. 1, pp. 1-11.