Page 152 - Biorefinery 2030 Future Prospects for the Bioeconomy (2015)

120 Glossary of Selected Scientific and Technical Terms

from vegetable oils, waste oils, or animal fats.Source:
OECD-FAO (2008)
Biomass Organic matter that can be used either as a source of energy or
for its chemical components. Biomass is usually obtained
from plants, but animal matter such as fats can also
be used.Source: FAO, s.d.
Biomaterials Agro-materials are materials made from agro-resources. They
can be produced using one component or a mixture. This is
the case with agro-composites, for example, which mainly
combine bio-based polymers (starch, cellulose, etc.) and
plant fibres (flax, hemp, etc.).Today, in accordance with
technical specifications, biorefining can be used to produce
efficient agro-materials: flax concrete, hemp concrete, flax
or hemp insulation, cellulose wadding, bio-based plastic,
composites for vehicles reinforced with plant fibres, etc.
Several industries use agro-materials: Automotive, Aero-
nautics, Construction, Packaging, Biomedicine, Biome-
chanics, Plastics, Capital Goods, Electrical Engineering
and Transport.Source: IAR
Bioplastics Plastics derived from biopolymers.Source: OECD (2009)
Biopolymer Any large polymer (protein, nucleic acid, polysaccharide)
produced by a living organism. Includes some materials
(such as polyhydroxybutyrate) suitable for use as plastics.
Source: FAO, n.d.
Bio-products Bio-products or bio-based products are materials, chemicals
and energy derived from renewable biological resources.
Source: ADEME
Biorefinery A facility that converts biomass into fuels, power, or
chemicals. The biorefinery concept is analogous to today’s
petroleum refineries, which produce multiple fuels and
products from petroleum.Source: NREL (2008)
Bioremediation The use of living organisms such as microorganisms or plants
to clean up contaminated soil or water.Source: OECD
(2009)
Cellulosic ethanol A biofuel produced from the enzymatic conversion of cellu-
lose into sugars. The cellulose is obtained from wood,
grasses, shrubs, or stalks of crop plants such as maize.
Source: OECD (2009)
Enzymatic Chemical reaction catalysed by enzymes of the hydrolase type
hydrolysis during which a water molecule is added, resulting in the
splitting of a compound.Source: IAR
Fermentation More generally, refers to the chemical conversion of
carbohydrates into alcohols or acids. A stricter definition
is the anaerobic breakdown of complex organic substances,