Petrochemicals – News and Features

Bioenergy sorghum is an important resource for the production of biofuels and bioproducts. Researchers have been working hard to make this tall, drought-tolerant plant even more productive and resilient to harsh environmental conditions.

While there is demand within the fashion industry for vegan alternatives to leather, there are few sustainable options that can match current commercial needs. Now, a new production method could help to make mushroom-based leather a realistic option.

Toxic metals in mineral phosphate fertilizers have been identified by a new tool that also outlines their impact on soil, water resources and food supply.

A Birmingham-led team has produced a photopolymer resin that can be printed at high resolution, broken down to its constituent parts, recycled and reprinted.

In Applied Physics Letters, by AIP Publishing, researchers used laser treatments to transform ordinary cork into a powerful tool for treating oil spills.

Methanol can be synthesised from carbon dioxide and water using renewable energy. When this green methanol is metabolised by specialised bacteria, a variety of chemical substances can be biotechnologically produced.

Decision-makers have been reluctant to invest in wind energy due to a perception that wind farms require a lot of land compared to electric power plants driven by fossil fuels. Research led by McGill University paints a very different picture.

Researchers have created a method that extracts over 80 percent of the available protein in grain leftovers from brewing beer, helping to reduce waste.

FAMU-FSU College of Engineering researchers have created a potential alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastic that is made from carbon dioxide (CO2) and lignin, a component of wood that is a low-cost byproduct of paper manufacturing and biofuel production.

Engineered bacteria can produce a plastic modifier that makes renewably sourced plastic more processable, more fracture resistant and highly biodegradable even in sea water.