One-pot process improves viability of biomass ethanol

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Engineers in the US have developed a one-pot process for converting woody plant matter like forest overgrowth and agricultural waste into liquid biofuel. 

The teams from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Sandia National Laboratories report their findings published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.

"According to a recent report, by 2050 there will be 38 million metric tons of dry woody biomass available each year, making it an exceptionally abundant carbon source for biofuel production," said Carolina Barcelos, a senior process engineer at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU).

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Efforts to convert woody biomass to biofuel are typically hindered by properties of wood that make it very difficult to break down chemically, added ABPDU research scientist Eric Sundstrom. "Our two studies detail a low-cost conversion pathway for biomass sources that would otherwise be burned in the field or in slash piles or increase the risk and severity of seasonal wildfires. We have the ability to transform these renewable carbon sources from air pollution and fire hazards into a sustainable fuel."

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