A team of researchers from the IIT Guwahati has formulated efficient “pincer” catalytic systems that transform biomass wastes into valuable chemicals.
- Tiny amounts of these “pincer catalysts” repeatedly convert large amounts of industrial waste such as glycerol into lactic acid and hydrogen.
- Such catalysts also efficiently convert bioethanol, a low-energy density fuel, into high-energy density butanol.
- The conversion of valuable intermediates such as glycerol and ethanol, produced during the processing of biomass, into industrially useful chemicals has elicited much interest worldwide.
