Top-Value Bioproducts Selection for the Forest Biorefinery in the Current Bioeconomy Framework

Abstract

The FAO defines bioeconomy as “the production, utilization, and conservation of biological resources, including related knowledge, science, technology, and innovation, to provide information, products, processes, and services across all economic sectors aiming toward a sustainable economy.” In this framework, the diversity of the forest resources provides potential opportunities to produce innovative and profitable bioproducts, biomaterials, and biofuels that can be obtained from the forest biorefinery, depending on the raw materials, technology, and other defining factors. This wide variety compels selecting the best ones for future biorefinery implementation. Several countries have been working on this selection for a couple of decades. However, it is time to update previous studies due to the changing economic and political context affecting the world markets. This chapter presents potential bioproducts selected by different countries or regions in previous years and defines top-value bioproducts for developing future biorefineries based on data from official organizations.