Researchers test possible method to lower cost of ethanol production

April 13, 2017
By Krista Eastman/University of Wisconsin–Madison

April 13, 2017 - A team of chemical and biological engineers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has found a way to produce from biomass a valuable compound used in plastic production that they estimate could lower the cost of ethanol produced from plant material by more than two dollars per gallon.

George Huber and a team of collaborators developed a renewable way of producing a highly valuable commodity chemical from biomass. The development has the potential to reduce the use of petroleum in making plastics and improve the economics of cellulosic ethanol. Photo by: James Runde