Indian researchers produce methyl levulinate from sugarcane bagasse

In India, the Indian Asian News Service reports that following two years of research, researchers from the National Sugar Institute in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur have produced methyl levulinate from sugarcane bagasse. The chemical is usually derived from levulinic acid that can cost as much as $11 per kilo per but producing it from bagasse at just 4 cents per kilo, changes the economics completely. Only the cellulose from the bagasse is used for the process, leaving the hemi-cellulose and lignin available for other uses.