Quicker and more efficient processing of biomass

Dr Sankar Meenakshisundaram,one of CCI's Research Fellows, during his tenure in Utrecht, has managed to not only speed up a crucial intermediate stage in the processing of biomass, but also improve its efficientcy.

The results from collaborative work with researchers in Utrecht, the UK and the US, highlight the intermediary stage can subsequently be converted into a variety of valuable renewable products, such as plastics and fuels.

The key is a newly developed catalyst: a compound that both supports and controls the reaction. This results in a greater yield of valuable chemical building blocks from biomass but also in fewer by-products and less waste. The researchers have already applied for a patent for their invention. The results have appeared in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

For further information see

Wenhao Luo, Meenakshisundaram Sankar, Andrew M. Beale, Qian He, Christopher J. Kiely, Pieter C. A. Bruijnincx, Bert M. Weckhuysen, High Performing and Stable Supported Nano-Alloys for the Catalytic Hydrogenation of Levulinic Acid to γ-Valerolactone, Nature Communications, 6: 6540 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7540 (2015).

Meenakshisundaram Sankar, Wenhao Luo, Pieter C. A. Bruijnincx, Bert M. Weckhuysen, Supported Monometallic and Bimetallic catalysts for the Hydrogenation of Levulinic Acid, Patent application PCT/NL2014/050569.