The purpose of this study is to analyze developments in thermoplastic starch and thermoplastic starch blends as replacements for conventional petrochemical polymers.  The report examines the technical, commercial, and economic aspects of producing thermoplastic starch and thermoplastic starch blends, and their relative costs by region against conventional polypropylene and HDPE. 

This report discusses the process technologies and economic considerations for tire pyrolysis, which is the thermal degradation of end-of-life tires to produce pyrolysis oil, pyrolysis gas, and char, which can be processed to produce recovered carbon black (rCB). The current status of the industry, and its potential outlook is discussed, as are production economics and viability in North America and Western Europe.

This report examines the technical, economic and business aspects of thermolysis (i.e., pyrolysis and gasification) of mixed plastics waste. Analyses of the mixed plastics waste and the thermolysis plant location are included in the report. Selected developers of pyrolysis and gasification technologies are profiled and ranked under different criteria. The economic analysis of thermolysis technologies (involving the production of syn-naphtha and methanol) and olefins production (i.e., ethylene and byproduct propylene) are provided for different geographic regions. In addition, the report includes an analysis of the regional competitiveness and profitability in the USGC, WE, and China of olefins production compared with various oil price scenarios. Strategic and business considerations are also included in the report.

This report investigates the various novel methods of producing chemicals from wood.  Several approaches, including thermochemical, catalytic, and fermentative are analyzed in depth.  Analyses include technical descriptions and cost of production estimates for the various routes.