Converting sugar obtained from cellulosic biomass such as corn stalks or wood chips is a proven path to creating biofuels and biochemicals. Our research has discovered a cheaper and simpler alternative of obtaining sugar from biomass. This “pyrolytic sugar,” as we call it, is produced by infusing biomass with small amounts of mineral acids and then subjecting it to the thermochemical process of fast pyrolysis. The sugar can then be fermented to ethanol or catalytically upgraded into biofuels or other bio-based products.
Impact
This thermochemical approach increases the prospects for economical production of advanced biofuels and commodity chemicals from cellulosic biomass.
Robert Brown’s other current projects
