DuPont joins race to offer biopolymers
US chemicals giant DuPont is leading a consortium to design the world's first "bio-refinery" in which maize rather than oil or gas will be used to produce a range of fuels and chemical feedstocks. But awareness is growing that a wide range of impacts - including those associated with intensive agriculture and product disposal - should be included when comparing the overall environmental impact of crop-derived and oil-based materials.