PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Chemical engineers at UMass Amherst find high-yield method of making xylene from biomass

2012-05-01
(Press-News.org) A team of chemical engineers led by Paul J. Dauenhauer of the University of Massachusetts Amherst has discovered a new, high-yield method of producing the key ingredient used to make plastic bottles from biomass. The process is inexpensive and currently creates the chemical p-xylene with an efficient yield of 75-percent, using most of the biomass feedstock, Dauenhauer says. The research is published in the journal ACS Catalysis.

Dauenhauer, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at UMass Amherst, says the new discovery shows that there is an efficient, renewable way to produce a chemical that has immediate and recognizable use for consumers. He says the plastics industry currently produces p-xylene from petroleum and that the new renewable process creates exactly the same chemical from biomass.

'You can mix our renewable chemical with the petroleum-based material and the consumer would not be able to tell the difference," Dauenhauer says.

Consumers will already know the plastics made from this new process by the triangular recycling label "#1" on plastic containers. Xylene chemicals are used to produce a plastic called PET (or polyethylene terephthalate), which is currently used in many products including soda bottles, food packaging, synthetic fibers for clothing and even automotive parts.

The new process uses a zeolite catalyst capable of transforming glucose into p-xylene in a three-step reaction within a high-temperature biomass reactor. Dauenhauer says this is a major breakthrough since other methods of producing renewable p-xylene are either expensive (e.g., fermentation) or are inefficient due to low yields.

A key to the success of this new process is the use of a catalyst that is specifically designed to promote the p-xylene reaction over other less desirable reactions. Dauenhauer says his research colleagues, professors Wei Fan of UMass Amherst and Raul Lobo of the University of Delaware, designed the catalyst. After a series of modifications, the team was able to help enhance the yield of the reaction. He also says additional modification of the process can further boost p-xylene yield and make the process more economically attractive.

"We discovered that the performance of the biomass reaction was strongly affected by the nanostructure of the catalyst, which we were able to optimize and achieve 75-percent yield," Fan says. Computations conducted by the team have been instrumental in understanding the reaction mechanism and the role of the catalyst as well as making alteration to the catalyst to improve the yield of the process.

Besides Dauenhauer and Fan, the research team is made up of UMass Amherst's C. Luke Williams and Chun-Chih Chang, doctoral students in chemical engineering, and their collaborators, professors Raul F. Lobo, Dionisios G. Vlachos and Stavros Caratzoulas, as well as doctoral student Nima Nikbin, and postdoctoral fellow Phuong Do from the University of Delaware.

This discovery is a part of a larger effort by the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation (CCEI) to create breakthrough technologies for the production of biofuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass. The center is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the Energy Frontiers Research Center (EFRC) program which combines more than 20 faculty members with complimentary research skills to collaborate on solving the world's most pressing energy challenges.

The discovery for the production of plastics adds another dimension to the portfolio of accomplishments of CCEI. In 2010, a CCEI research team led by Mark Davis of Caltech discovered a new catalyst, called Tin-Beta, which can convert glucose into fructose. This is the first step in the production of a large number of targeted products including biofuels and biochemicals, including p-xylene, from the building block of cellulose, the major constituent of trees and switchgrass.

In addition, a team led by Ray Gorte and John Vohs at the University of Pennsylvania has developed a novel fuel cells technology that converts solid biomass to electricity and another led by George Huber and Wei Fan of UMass Amherst has improved the yield to aromatics that can be used as drop-in fuels to gasoline.

### END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

NYSCOF: New Studies: Show Fluoridation Fails to Reduce Tooth Decay

2012-05-01
New research shows that fluoride chemicals added to U.S. public water supplies are not reducing tooth decay as promoted and promised by government agencies, reports the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. (NYSCOF). Using federal statistics, the West Virginia University Rural Health Research Center reports that urban U.S. children, with more exposure to fluoridated water and dental care, have just as many cavities as less fluoridation-exposed rural children. The researchers write: "For children's dental health measures, it was found that fluoridation ...

Impaired recovery of Atlantic cod -- forage fish or other factors?

2012-05-01
Ottawa, Ontario (April 30, 2012) – In a rapid communication just published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, biologist Douglas Swain of the Gulf Fisheries Centre and Robert Mohn, emeritus scientist, at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography present findings that suggest the delay in recovery of Atlantic cod on the eastern Scotian Shelf could be attributed to increased predation by grey seals or other governing factors and not the effect of forage fish as previously thought. "Swain and Mohn provide provocative scientific evidence challenging the ...

Equal access to care helps close survival gap for young African-American cancer patients

2012-05-01
A new analysis from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital adds to evidence that equal access to comprehensive treatment and supportive care typically translates into equally good outcomes for most young African-American and white cancer patients. Researchers found no significant difference in survival rates between African-American and white children treated at St. Jude for virtually all cancers during a 15-year period ending in 2007. Racial disparities in cancer survival are widely recognized among African-American patients of any age. These patients are less likely ...

HR Solution: EzTimeSheet Software, The Effective Way To Track Employee Attendance And Leave

2012-05-01
HR software developer Halfpricesoft.com recently updated ezTimeSheet time tracking software with new vacation and leave plan options to give small businesses more versatility when tracking vacation time, sick time and paid time off for employees. They hope this new edition of time sheet software can save user¡¯s more time and money on employee management. ¡°Employee attendance tracking is important for any business and organization; however employee attendance and vacation time tracking can be very time-consuming. We believe small business should focus their time and ...

The bright side of death: Awareness of mortality can result in positive behaviors

2012-05-01
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Contemplating death doesn't necessarily lead to morose despondency, fear, aggression or other negative behaviors, as previous research has suggested. Following a review of dozens of studies, University of Missouri researchers found that thoughts of mortality can lead to decreased militaristic attitudes, better health decisions, increased altruism and helpfulness, and reduced divorce rates. "According to terror management theory, people deal with their awareness of mortality by upholding cultural beliefs and seeking to become part of something larger and ...

Old maps and dead clams help solve coastal boulder mystery

Old maps and dead clams help solve coastal boulder mystery
2012-05-01
Perched atop the sheer coastal cliffs of Ireland's Aran Islands, ridges of giant boulders have puzzled geologists for years. What forces could have torn these rocks from the cliff edges high above sea level and deposited them far inland? While some researchers contend that only a tsunami could push these stones, new research in The Journal of Geology finds that plain old ocean waves, with the help of some strong storms, did the job. And they're still doing it. The three tiny Aran Islands are just off the western coast of Ireland. The elongated rock ridges form a ...

Ultratec, distributors for Systech Illinois, will be exhibiting their range of Gas Analysis Equipment at the Korea Pack 2012 Packaging Exhibition

2012-05-01
Systech Illinois offer a leading range of oxygen and water vapor permeation analysers for testing of all packaging film, finished package and PET bottles. They are an invaluable R&D resource for testing and validating new packaging. Systech also provide fast, accurate oxygen and carbon dioxide analyzers for testing headspace and gas flushed food packages. These can be used effectively with packages of all sizes and portable and waterproof versions are available. Ultratec plan to exhibit Systech IllinoisâEUR extensive range of permeation analysers, headspace gas analysers ...

Researchers develop new method to measure IT quality

2012-05-01
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Researchers at the University at Buffalo School of Management have proposed a better way of measuring the capabilities of IT service providers in a study recently published in IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. The study was conducted by Rajiv Kishore, associate professor, and H. Raghav Rao, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, in the school's Management Science and Systems Department, and Matthew E. Swinarski, associate professor, and Eric Jackson, assistant professor, in the Sam and Irene Black School of Business at Penn State Erie, The Behrend ...

American Dentist Says US Dentists Overcharge! So He Sends Patients To About Mexican Dentists .Com Certified Cabo And Puerto Vallarta Dentists.

2012-05-01
American Dentist Says US Dentists Overcharge! So he sends patients to Cabo dental clincs and Puerto Vallarta dentists. And he even pays the airfare for dental makeover patients. American dentist Dr. Nelson Henry DDS has worked both in the USA and onboard cruise ships traveling the world as the ship's dentist for passengers and crew. He operates two clinics in rural Maine but for years has been enjoying vacationing in Mexico's prime resort towns of Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. Seeing that high-quality low-cost dental care is available in Mexico dental clinics ...

WPI team scales-up production of biopolymer microthreads

WPI team scales-up production of biopolymer microthreads
2012-05-01
VIDEO: Development of new therapies for a range of medical conditions, from common sports injuries to heart attack, will be supported by a new production-scale microthread extruder designed and built by... Click here for more information. Worcester, Mass. – Development of new therapies for a range of medical conditions—from common sports injuries to heart attacks—will be supported by a new production-scale microthread extruder designed and built by a team of graduate students ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time

‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’

Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible

Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound

American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care

Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential

Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration

Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce

Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care

Resident physician intentions regarding unionization

[Press-News.org] Chemical engineers at UMass Amherst find high-yield method of making xylene from biomass