[stcredzero]

The typical substitute for wood is plastic, but that comes from petroleum, and there's none of that on Mars either.

This was covered in Zubrin's The Case for Mars. With the input of some hydrogen and some energy, you can source feedstock for plastics from Mars' atmosphere. For example, ethylene:

http://pioneerastro.com/Team/RZubrin/Mars_In-Situ_Resource_U...

[moron4hire]

Except Mars' atmosphere is more akin to a vacuum than most industrial vacuum processes.

[stcredzero]

That's because most industrial vacuum processes happen in the 15 psi context of conditions on Earth. We already know that the Sabatier process will work in Mars like conditions. The chemistry has been around for a century, and demonstration hardware specifically for Mars conditions was built over a decade ago.

[TeMPOraL]

Will work != will have enough output to be useful. I'm hopeful, but honestly, I haven't seen any decent estimates. Anyone has a link to such?

[stcredzero]

This thread seems to suggest that the big barrier is energy. The reason why natural gas and petroleum are used as feedstocks for the manufacture of plastic on earth is precisely because using them reduces the required energy input. The thread is also a good source of a few interesting links.

http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=6970

In terms of having enough output from a material standpoint, the requirement is still mostly energy. It would require a lot of energy to move enough CO2 through the plant.