Researchers Derive New Method for Turning Plant Materials Into Better Green Energy

July 9, 2022 by Dan McCue
Researchers Derive New Method for Turning Plant Materials Into Better Green Energy

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Researchers at Michigan State University have developed a new chemical method to break down the strong chemical bond in plant matter using electricity and water that has the added bonus of destroying pollutants that are a byproduct of most fuels.

As nations across the globe set goals for reaching carbon neutrality in the decades ahead, researchers are trying to find ways to tap into both the carbon and energy stored in biomass and turn it into forms that can replace fossil fuels.

One of the main challenges, however, has been to identify new, efficient methods for breaking down complex and tough plant materials into the basic building blocks for fuel and products.

Specifically, much of the work has involved looking for “tools” that can “disconnect” the strong chemical bonds that bind plant material together, while retaining — and even enhancing — as much of the carbon and energy content as possible.

The Michigan State University researchers believe they’ve found an answer in an “electrocatalytic” process that could be applied to lignin, a carbon-rich biomass component that is usually discarded or simply burned as a byproduct of making paper.

The research was conducted by Ned Jackson, a professor of organic chemistry in the College of Natural Science at Michigan State University, his former graduate student Yuting Zhao, now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois, Grace Klinger, Eric Hegg, and Christopher Saffron.

It was published in the April 19, 2022, edition of Nature Communications, a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Nature Research.

The findings were then distributed by Science Daily, a website that aggregates press releases and publishes them in lightly edited versions.

“One of the things that drives us is the idea that our main use of petroleum is fuel that is burned to produce energy, adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere,” said Jackson in an interview with Emilie Lorditch, a “strategic storyteller” at Michigan State. “The new science is a step toward extracting useful carbon compounds to displace some fraction of the fossil petroleum that we use today.”

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue

A+
a-
  • biofuel
  • biomass
  • Michigan State University
  • Research
  • science
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Science

    France's Macron Says Melting Glaciers 'Unprecedented Challenge for Humanity'

    PARIS (AP) — Melting glaciers are an “unprecedented challenge for humanity,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, as he launched a... Read More

    PARIS (AP) — Melting glaciers are an “unprecedented challenge for humanity,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, as he launched a call for nations to work together on slashing planet-warming emissions, protecting the environment and collaborating on scientific research into the Earth's icy ecosystems. Such a united... Read More

    AI Raises Fears About Risks to Humanity. Are Tech and Political Leaders Doing Enough?

    LONDON (AP) — Chatbots like ChatGPT wowed the world with their ability to write speeches, plan vacations or hold a conversation as good... Read More

    LONDON (AP) — Chatbots like ChatGPT wowed the world with their ability to write speeches, plan vacations or hold a conversation as good as or arguably even better than humans do, thanks to cutting-edge artificial intelligence systems. Now, frontier AI has become the latest buzzword as concerns grow that... Read More

    October 23, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    AI Seen as Key to Planning Climate Change-Related Hazard Mitigation

    PASADENA, Calif. — As demand for more detailed assessment of climate risks grows, a team of scientists from around the... Read More

    PASADENA, Calif. — As demand for more detailed assessment of climate risks grows, a team of scientists from around the globe argue for utilizing artificial intelligence to greatly improve the climate simulations that form the basis of hazard mitigation plans. Although we’re all prone to complain... Read More

    Biden Names Technology Hubs for 32 States and Puerto Rico

    REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — The Biden administration is designating 31 technology hubs touching 32 states and Puerto Rico to help spur... Read More

    REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — The Biden administration is designating 31 technology hubs touching 32 states and Puerto Rico to help spur innovation and create jobs in the industries that are concentrated in these areas. President Joe Biden is set to announce the hubs on Monday at the... Read More

    We Carry DNA From Neanderthals and Science Is Now Revealing Their Genetic Legacy

    Neanderthals live on within us. These ancient human cousins, and others called Denisovans, once lived alongside our early Homo sapiens ancestors.... Read More

    Neanderthals live on within us. These ancient human cousins, and others called Denisovans, once lived alongside our early Homo sapiens ancestors. They mingled and had children. So some of who they were never went away — it's in our genes. And science is starting to reveal just... Read More

    June 28, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Food Seen as Best Medicine for Chronic Diet-Related Diseases

    SANTA MONICA, Calif. — We Americans are a funny bunch when it comes to health. Despite widespread prosperity and the... Read More

    SANTA MONICA, Calif. — We Americans are a funny bunch when it comes to health. Despite widespread prosperity and the fact that our farmers feed most of the rest of the world, our life expectancy is plummeting and we suffer from a plethora of chronic, diet-related... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top