Ionic really

Dead wood

Source: Sanchai Khudpin/Shutterstock

Could wood be our new biofuel?

Dead wood is abundant. Indeed chemists are already looking to the woody parts of plants that end up as agricultural waste as potential biofuels and as an alternative source of industrial chemicals from oil. But it’s not that easy, or is it?

Wood is made up of the polysaccharides cellulose and hemicellulose surrounded by the highly branched polymer, lignin. Lignin bonds to carbohydrates in the plant, and crosslinks to the polysaccharides. All in all, this is what makes wood tough and rigid. And herein lies the problem.

Thanks for using Education in Chemistry. You can view one Education in Chemistry article per month as a visitor. 

A photograph of a teacher standing in a white lab coat, speaking with a class of children in a laboratory, is superimposed on a colourful background. Text reads "Teach Chemistry means support for classroom and staff room".

Register for Teach Chemistry for free, unlimited access

Registration is open to all teachers and technicians at secondary schools, colleges and teacher training institutions in the UK and Ireland.

Get all this, plus much more:

  • unlimited access to resources, core practical videos and Education in Chemistry articles
  • teacher well-being toolkit, personal development resources and online assessments
  • applications for funding to support your lessons

Already a Teach Chemistry member? Sign in now.

Not eligible for Teach Chemistry? Sign up for a personal account instead, or you can also access all our resources with Royal Society of Chemistry membership.