Primer on Bioproducts

This Primer on Bioproducts is an introduction to biology-based industrial products and processes — technologies and processes that use plants, micro-organisms and their products as an alternative (or as a complement) to the fossil fuels and petrochemicals used in cars, factories and consumer goods. For the purposes of this Primer, bioproducts refer to commercial, industrial and environmental products, but not to the food, feed and fibre we traditionally derive from microbial and plant species.

The Primer is written for lay readers who have a limited knowledge of biology and ndustrial engineering. It provides a general description of the evolving science and technology used to make bioproducts in Canada. For more detailed information, readers should contact the organizations listed in Chapter 7 and explore the references listed at the back of this document.