Process increases viability of biofuels from plant waste

The approach is said to feature an ammonia-salt based solvent that rapidly turns plant fibres into sugars needed to make ethanol. Unlike conventional processes, the new method works well at close to room temperature, according to a Rutgers-led study in the journal Green Chemistry.

New technique for converting biomass to liquid fuel

York researchers find biomass-degrading enzymes

"Our pre-treatment system can slash - by up to 50-fold - the use of enzymes to turn solvent-treated cellulose into glucose used to make bioproducts like ethanol," said lead author Shishir P. S. Chundawat, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering in the School of Engineering at Rutgers University-New Brunswick in New Jersey. "Similar processes could greatly reduce the cost of producing biofuels from waste biomass like corn stalks and leaves."

The solvent can also extract more than 80 per cent of the lignin in plant waste. Lignin, which binds to and fortifies plant fibres, could be used to help upgrade valuable aromatic chemicals in the future, according to Chundawat.