New processes facilitate the application of wood and other plant derived lignocellulose for the production of bio-based products, as for example bio-based plastics and detergents. A part of crude oil that is currently used for similar production can thus be replaced.
Our research network investigates and uses several types of wood as well as fast growing grass species such as Miscanthus for biomass production.The cell wall of these plants is made of lignocellulose, which is comprised of primarily cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Specialized separation and conversion processes are evaluated for the extraction of different chemical components from lignocellulose. These facilitate various applications of lignocellulose derived compounds for the production of materials and for use as platform chemicals.
The main goal in our research network is to use lignocellulose for producing new materials and end products. We also consider the possibility of recovering energy from side products in order to guarantee a complete utilization of lignoellulose and to increase economic yield.
