In a post-petroleum society, biorefineries – along with the farmers and foresters who source raw materials – are at the heart of the economy. No matter how you define it, the concept remains the same: converting raw materials into useful products for society. Instead of fossil fuels, the biobased economy employs renewable resources and wastes to produce a series of products useful to society: biofuels, bioenergy, biochemicals, bioplastics and other biomaterials.

Brussels – Greetings readers! The observant of you will note that I have strayed far from Brussels in my quest for knowledge – I was lucky enough to attend the BIO convention in Chicago in late April, and where better to listen out for sage advice? So what did I hear?