University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have developed a new process that could help make plant-based plastics and other alternatives to fossil fuels more economically viable.
Led by chemistry professor Shannon Stahl and chemical engineering professor Thatcher Root, a team of researchers with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center used oxygen to break down a tough form of plant fiber called lignin into chemicals that resemble the building blocks of many plastics and textiles currently made from petroleum.
Stahl said the findings, detailed in the journal Joule, represent an important step in the fight to slow climate change.
Read the full article here: https://energy.wisc.edu/news/scientists-use-oxygen-pull-valuable-chemicals-organic-waste