In today's world, we are dependent on oil, but scarce natural resources require us to find new resources to produce fuel, materials and medicine. However, Associate Professor Peter Fristrup from DTU Chemistry and his team have found a new, inexpensive method for converting biomass.
Peter Fristrup is heading a large research project aimed at developing new types of catalysts for utilizing biomass more efficiently in the production of future materials and medicine.
Together with his team at DTU Chemistry, he has recently published an article on a brand new discovery—a new, inexpensive method for converting biomass.
The article, which was published in the journal ChemSusChem, shows that cheap, commercially available molybdenum compounds can be used for converting biomass.
The far more expensive metal rhenium, costing roughly DKK 15,000 per kg, is the only metal previously used for this reaction type. The price for molybdenum is only approx. DKK 120 per kg, which provides hope that the discovery can also be used for commercial purposes.
"We're looking into how we can expand the scope of utilization. At the moment, our focus is on basic research, but there is great potential in commercializing our discovery," says Peter Fristrup, DTU Chemistry.
Patent on the discovery
DTU applied for a patent on the discovery in summer 2013, and today the team continues to work on the development of new and more efficient reactions for biomass conversion.
The research is funded by a DFF-Starting Grant of DKK 8 million under the Sapere Aude programme, which Associate Professor Peter Fristrup was awarded in 2012.
Read the whole article in ChemSuSChem