Elinor Hughes investigates how scientists are hoping to use biomass waste to produce valuable chemicals
With the production of bioethanol from biomass ramping up globally, scientists are turning their attention to slashing the amount of waste produced during this process. Lignin, which makes up 20–30% of biomass, can’t be converted into this biofuel. And because it is difficult to do anything else with it, it is usually burned for energy. If scientists can figure out how to break it apart and separate its components, they would unlock the door to a range of valuable chemicals. However, this is proving challenging.
Elinor Hughes investigates how scientists are hoping to use biomass waste to produce valuable chemicals, speaking to two scientists taking different approaches to lignin degradation.
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