Toward Replacing Ethylene Oxide in a Sustainable World: Glycolaldehyde as a Bio-Based C Platform Molecule.

Fossil-based platform molecules such as ethylene and ethylene oxide currently serve as the primary feedstock for the C -based chemical industry. However, in the search for a more sustainable chemical industry, fossil-based resources may preferentially be replaced by renewable alternatives, provided there is realistic economic feasibility. This Review compares and critically discusses several production routes toward bio-based structural analogues of ethylene oxide and the required adaptations for their implementation in state-of-the-art C -based chemical processes.