WSU developing valuable chemical from poplars after biofuel too expensive

In Washington state, WSU researchers are looking at ways to grow the valuable chemical 2-phenylethanol—the chemical that gives roses their scent and is used in perfumes—inside the leaves and branches of poplars. The project began in response to an attempt to use woody poplars as biofuel feedstock but the low prices for fuels didn’t compensate for the high production cost of the cellulosic ethanol process.