Table 1.

Top chemical opportunities from biorefinery carbohydrates and criteria of selection.^a

#	Bio-based compounds	Criteria
1	Ethanol	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
2	Furans	1, 2, 7, 8, 9
3	Glycerol and derivatives	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
4	Biohydrocarbons	Isoprene: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7
5	Lactic acid	1, 2, 4, 7
6	Succinic acid	1, 2, 5, 6
7	Hydroxypropionic acid/aldehyde	1, 3, 4, 5
8	Levulinic acid	1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8
9	D-sorbitol	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
10	Xylitol	1, 2, 5, 8, 9

^aCriteria of selection:

1. The compound/technology has received significant attention in the literature.

2. The compound illustrates a broad technology applicable to multiple products.

3. The technology provides direct substitutes for existing petrochemicals.

4. The technology is applicable to high volume products.

5. A compound exhibits strong potential as a platform.

6. Scale-up of the product/technology to pilot, demo, or full scale is underway.

7. The bio-based compound is an existing commercial product, prepared at intermediate or commodity levels.

8. The compound may serve as a primary building block of the biorefinery.

9. Commercial production of the compound from renewable carbon is well established.