University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers develop pathway to produce levulinic acid from biomass

March 24, 2020 |

In Wisconsin, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison recently developed a pathway with the potential to convert biomass, like wood chips or grasses, into a widely used industrial solvent and aim to expand this work to produce an array of sustainable chemicals. The researchers developed chemical processes that convert lignocellulosic biomass, essentially dried plant matter, into levulinic acid, a five-carbon organic acid with a high potential to become a platform precursor to biofuels and other chemical products.

By using microorganisms to further process the acid into usable chemicals, they believe they could keep the process sustainable from start to finish.

Category: Research

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