RENEWABLE SOURCES

All our formulations are constantly updated to improve performance, sensorial qualities, and sustainability. The transition from the first to the fourth generation is a daily commitment.

Carbon chemistry is organic chemistry, the chemistry of life. Algae, plants, and animals are mainly composed of organic compounds of Carbon, Oxygen, and Hydrogen.

The same oil, from which we derive the hydrocarbons, was formed from biological matter, from vegetable and animal unicellular marine organisms (phytoplankton and zooplankton) remained buried in the underground hundreds of millions of years ago, during the Palaeozoic, when this organic matter was abundant in the seas.

Hydrocarbons are mainly used for the production of electricity and mobility (93%), but they are also the raw materials for the chemical industry and for plastics and paints (7%).

Oil hydrocarbons are not renewable, as it is not possible to recreate oil in the depths of the Earth.

As an alternative to oil, there is the possibility of obtaining hydrocarbons from crops for human consumption, such as Mais, Soy, Sunflower, Rapeseed and Linseed.

These biological sources are classified as “first generation”, and their use in the chemical industry can be considered critical as it is in competition with human nutrition.

It is however interesting to evaluate some data in detail, e.g. biofuel production can be achieved without impact on food availability.

The consumption of rapeseed oil in the EU for food has remained stable at around 2.8 million tons for over 10 years, and thanks to the increase in agricultural productivity the EU’s vegetable oil production has never been lacking. Furthermore, it is to be considered that the production of biodiesel increases the availability of vegetable proteins and is integrated into the food chain.

In fact, the biodiesel produced from vegetable oils triggers the production of considerable volumes of raw materials for the production of animal feed: for 1 kg of biodiesel from rapeseed and soybean, 1.5 kg and 4 kg of animal feed are obtained, respectively.

These crops allow the production of hydrocarbons without direct competition with the human chain, but they can still represent subtraction and exploitation of the soil and the sea for industrial purposes.

Also in this area, it is possible to consider innovative, sustainable and circular economy solutions: the cultivation in arid and / or marginal lands of plants as an alternative to agricultural areas, suitable for the production of specialties for the chemical industry and with by-products destined for energy and animal feed sector.

Validation projects for Thistle crops in arid and marginal lands are currently underway on an industrial scale.  Thistle is used for the extraction of bio-materials for chemistry.

There is nowadays a third generation represented by biomass waste from city and farming that represents a resource for the industry.

Food waste, e.g. fried vegetable waste oil, is a renewable raw material that today has a well-defined recycling chain in many countries and chemical industries.

The production of bioenergy coming from agriculture is a widespread practice in many regions in Italy and Europe. It has been assessed, in fact, that a biomethane car has life cycle emissions equal to an electric car powered by wind energy.

In this context, we also find the innovative biorefineries by oil companies with the aim to develop sustainable solutions. In Italy, a biorefinery at Marghera is currently mainly fed by vegetable oil (certified for its sustainability according to European standards), and up to 15% by used and purified used cooking oil (UCOs). The plant can also process animal fats, non-edible oils and residues coming from plastic production.

Many chemists and engineers are nowadays engaged in a new challenge in discovering new processes for the production of raw materials by directly using CO₂ carbon dioxide, avoiding the biological phase of agricultural or aquaculture cultivation.

There are some industrial chemical plants and steel mills operating in Europe that use CO₂ as a source of raw materials.

It’s hard to believe a solution to the problem that is niggling the entire humanity is so simple and around the corner.

Global warming is attributed to the CO₂ produced by the combustion of fuels and waste-to-energy plants, but it is possible to close the loop using CO₂ to produce fuels and other raw materials.

Borma Wachs’ commitment to a sustainable world is clearly outlined: the use of raw materials from renewable sources is a basic principle for us.

All our formulations are constantly updated to improve performance, sensorial qualities, and sustainability. The transition from the first to the fourth generation is a daily commitment.

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