Since the Middle East War of 1973, when the petroleum supply to many
highly industrialized nations was discontinued or curtailed, there has been
a widespread reexamination of the technological and political aspects of
alternative energy sources. Paralleling this reaction to higher prices and
reduced availability of conventional fuels has been a less publicized but
no less diligent search for chemical feedstocks which are independent of
oil and coal supplies. The interest in alternative fuels and chemical raw
materials is not simply a response to the vagaries of international politics.
It is an inevitable consequence of the progressive world-wide depletion of
the more conventional fossil fuels.