According to research published earlier this month (June 13) by the ETH Zurich Studies & Research Group (Zurich, Switzerland), there has been a breakthrough in the manufacture of a common industrial chemical from wood waste as opposed to crude oil. Vitamins, medication, solvents, crop protection products, and polymers -- in the future, it will be possible to manufacture many of these from wood waste if this new method holds promise in industrial application. The processes, according to the report, will also be at least as cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and safe as current oil-based processes, said an international team of researchers.

The present-day chemical industry is based on oil: many chemical products -- from plastics through to detergents and solvents to medication and crop protection products -- have their origins in oil and its constituents. Since oil reserves are finite, scientists have been looking for ways to manufacture these products from sustainable materials including trees, which are now, progressively on a global scale, harvested in an eco-friendly and renewable ways.

An international research team has now demonstrated a highly effective alternative manufacturing method for making a major basic chemical product, succinic acid, by applying a special bacterial mix to wood waste.

 

This new method could be of significant interest to the pulp and paper industry: an alkaline solution containing cellulose is also formed as waste in this sector, but it is not currently recycled. It would be an ideal source of glucose as well, which the P&P industry can use. "The European paper industry could once again hope to compete with strong competition overseas if it succeeded in recycling waste produced and selling them with added value," explained one of the lead researchers.

 

However, construction of a biotechnological production plant is a long-term investment and a matter of consideration for the chemical engineering department on an appropriate cost and time scale. Before a company proceeded along this route, it would need to know whether it would be worthwhile. "We have now been able to answer this question in the affirmative, thanks to our work. 

Sections of the original release by ETH Zurich were re-published by Science Daily (Rockville, Md., USA), one of the leading and most trusted general interest western publications in the scientific field. More information can be found in the full summary of research available online.