Biomass Waste Becomes Feedstock

摘要

A TEAM of researchers at the Center for Direct Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels (C3Bio) at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., has developed a process to convert lignin into valuable chemical commodities. "We are able to take lignin, which most biorefiner-ies consider waste to be burned for its heat, and turn it into high-value molecules that have applications in fragrance, flavoring and high-octane jet fuels," says lead researcher Mahdi Abu-Omar, professor of chemical engineering and associate director of C3Bio. "We can do this while simultaneously producing from the biomass lignin-free cellulose, which is the basis of ethanol and other liquid fuels. We do all of this in a one-step process."