This textbook introduces the industrial production and processing of natural resources. It is divided into six major topics (fats and oils, carbohydrates, lignin, terpenoids, other natural products, biorefinery), which are divided into a total of 20 chapters.
Each chapter is self-contained and therefore a compact learning unit, which can be worked on by students in self-study or presented by lecturers. Clear illustrations, flow diagrams, apparatus drawings and photos facilitate the understanding of the subject matter. All chapters end with a succinct summary, the "Take Home Messages". Each chapter is supplemented by ten short test questions, which can be solved quickly after working through the chapter; the answers are at the end of the book. All chapters contain bibliographical references that focus on essential textbooks and reference works. As a prior knowledge, only basic knowledge of chemistry is required.
Prof. Dr. Arno Behr was born in Aachen, Germany, where he studied chemistry at the Technical University finishing his PhD in 1979. After his habilitation at the RWTH Aachen he worked for ten years at Henkel company (Düsseldorf/Germany) in the field of the use and processing of renewable raw materials as department head in the chemical process development. From 1996 until 2017, he was full Professor for Industrial Chemistry at TU Dortmund University/Germany. In his research group renewable resources, in particular oleo compounds, terpenes and sugars, were important substrates. He is the author or co-author of a total of ten books dealing with industrial chemistry, catalysis and the chemistry of carbon dioxide.
Dr. Thomas Seidensticker, was born in Marl, Germany, and studied chemistry at TU Dortmund University/Germany. He received his doctoral degree with distinction in 2016 under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Arno Behr. Since 2017, he is a junior research group leader in the group with Prof. Dr. Dieter Vogt in the Laboratories of Industrial Chemistry at TU Dortmund University. His research is dedicated to sustainable process design for homogeneous catalysts, including the development of innovative recycling methods and the conversion of renewable resources. For several years he has been a lecturer and trainer for lectures on renewable resources and has also written several review articles on this topic.
