Biomass as a source of raw materials
For the protection of the environment, and because of the limited amount of fossil fuels available, renewable resources, such as specially cultivated plants, wood scraps, and other plant waste, are becoming the focus of considerable attention. Processes such as pyrolysis or liquefaction allow the conversion of biomass into bio-oil, a highly promising renewable source of energy. A team of German and Chinese scientists led by Johannes A. Lercher at the Technical University of Munich has now developed a new catalytic process to convert components of bio-oil directly into alkanes and methanol. As reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie, the process is based on a "one-pot" reaction catalyzed by a precious metal on a carbon support combined with an inorganic acid.
Read the whole article on Physorg
More from Physorg
Related
- Biomass as a source of raw materialsTue, 12 May 2009, 10:49:56 EDT
- Plastic that grows on trees, part twoTue, 19 May 2009, 13:28:39 EDT
- Two-step chemical process turns raw biomass into biofuelTue, 10 Feb 2009, 17:42:41 EST
- Shifting the world to 100 percent clean, renewable energy as early as 2030 -- here are the numbersMon, 19 Oct 2009, 12:29:19 EDT
- Turning waste material into ethanolWed, 13 Aug 2008, 16:28:57 EDT