UW-Madison will participate in a three-year research project involving the use of biomass instead of petroleum to produce plastic precursors and other chemicals, according to a university news release.
Biomass is more economically viable and environmentally friendly than its petroleum counterpart.
“People have been focusing on fuels, which are a pretty low-value product—$600 or $700 per ton—but we're going to be making products that are worth more than $5,000 per ton,” George Huber, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at UW-Madison who is participating in the research, said.
The United States Department of Energy provided a $3.3 million grant as part of a $13.4 million national initiative to support the advancement of biofuels and bioproducts and to make them more competitive with petroleum.
University of Minnesota and Argonne National Laboratory will also participate in the research.
In the UW-Madison branch of research, Huber will be working with Professors James A. Dumesic, Christos Maravelias, Bill Banholzer and Associate Professor Ive Hermans.
