Chemical compounds in place of paper

Cellulose is a protracted chain of carbohydrate (sugar) molecules and money owed for approximately -thirds of wooden's weight. "it's far especially used for paper manufacturing, and the residuals might be higher valorised by way of being converted into useful chemical compounds," says Sviatlana Siankevich of EPFL's Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering. With colleagues from Queen's college in Canada and the countrywide college of Singapore, the EPFL team led by chemist Paul Dyson synthesised several styles of ionic drinks (molten salts) to convert cellulose into HMF, an important molecule for the manufacturing of commodity chemical substances. In a unmarried step, their reaction reached a 62% yield, a new document.

"Our technique operates at mild situations, that is, without very high temperatures or strain or robust acids," says Siankevich. "we have also been able to lessen the quantity of undesired through-merchandise, an vital factor if the response is to be scaled up for business strategies. Our method can paintings with wooden, however it is regularly less difficult to apply cellulose extracted from herbaceous flowers."