Plastic that grows on trees, part two
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 11:42
in Physics & Chemistry
Some researchers hope to turn plants into a renewable, nonpolluting replacement for crude oil. To achieve this, scientists have to learn how to convert plant biomass into a building block for plastics and fuels cheaply and efficiently. In new research, chemists have successfully converted cellulose - the most common plant carbohydrate - directly into the building block called HMF in one step...