date:Jun 06, 2012
The research uses the same chemical, p-xylene that is currently used to produce polyethylene terephthalate (PET) but produces it with the added benefit that it can beplant-based and renewable unlike the current method of using petroleum.
The process creates the chemical p-xylene with a current yield of 75% and utilization of most of the biomass feedstock according to project leader Paul J Dauenhauer.
The discovery could lead to the chemical being used to make PET without having any noticeable