Fats and Oils as Renewable Feedstock for the Chemical Industry

Fats and oils have long served as renewable feedstocks for the chemical industry, traditionally applied in the production of soaps, surfactants, lubricants, and cosmetic ingredients. Today, they are of growing interest not only in the context of food and energy—where global consumption of vegetable oils surpassed 200 million metric tons in 2023 [1]—but also as sources of renewable carbon for materials and platform chemicals [2, 3]. Their molecular structure offers a unique duality: a functional group amenable to classical transformations and a hydrocarbon-rich alkyl chain that remains underexploited. Despite substantial developments, most large-scale applications of oleochemistry still focus on the functionalization of the carboxylic acid group. However, in light of pressing global challenges—climate change, resource scarcity, and the need for more regionalized value chains—it is time to rethink oleochemistry with a stronger emphasis on the alkyl chain. Unlocking the potential of this saturated or unsaturated backbone could enable access to biobased building blocks for polymers and high-performance materials, helping to reshape the chemical industry on a more sustainable foundation. Compared to lignocellulosic biomass, fats and oils offer immediate advantages: they are aliphatic, oxygen-poor, relatively pure, and processable with established methods. Moreover, existing large-scale production infrastructure can directly be used and extended. Locally grown plant oils and microbially derived lipids—produced via fermentation of agro-industrial sidestreams or even CO₂—are particularly attractive in building more resilient, regionally anchored supply chains. By fostering innovation in this area, we can not only support global sustainability targets but also stimulate national and European leadership in specialty chemicals. In particular, the functionalization of the saturated alkyl chain remains largely unexplored. While some enzymatic methods introduce new functionalities, chemo- and biocatalytic strategies for selective C–H functionalization are still in their infancy in this context. Reactions such as borylations, aminations, oxygenations, halogenations, and desaturations hold great potential, especially when regioselectivity can be finely tuned. At the 12th Workshop on Fats and Oils as Renewable Resources for the Chemical Industry in June 2024, promising contributions addressed these future directions (Book of Abstracts can be found under: http://www.abiosus.org/docs/Book_of_Abstracts_2024.pdf) Karol Grela (University of Warsaw) presented a scalable ethenolysis of technical methyl oleate using ppm-level Ru catalysts, while Lukas Gooßen (University of Bochum) demonstrated the potential of isomerizing metathesis [6] and decarboxylative ketonization for fatty acid valorization. The special issue also includes a review by Frank Hollmann (TU Delft) on Biocatalytic oxyfunctionalisation of fatty acids [7], underlining the complementary role of enzyme-based approaches. The contributions compiled in this issue reflect the dynamic and innovative spirit of the field. They offer a glimpse into the future of oleochemistry—one that expands beyond traditional boundaries to include the alkyl chain and enables broader applications in sustainable materials and specialty chemicals. We warmly invite you to continue this journey with us at the 13th Workshop on Fats and Oils as Renewable Resources for the Chemical Industry, to be held in Dortmund, Germany, from June 8 to 10, 2026. We look forward to further inspiring exchanges and collaborative progress.