RICHLAND, Wash. — Scientists at Washington State University have found a new way to produce sugar from corn stalks and other crop waste, potentially opening a new pathway to sustainable biofuels.
Newly published in Bioresource Technology, their experimental process used “ammonium sulfite-based alkali salts” to convert leftover corn stalks, husks, and other residues into low-cost sugar for production of biofuels and bioproducts, making the process more economically feasible.
“Inexpensive sugar is the key to commercial success for new technologies that make fuels and useful products from renewable biomass,” said Bin Yang, professor at WSU’s Department of Biological Systems Engineering and a lead investigator on the study.
You can learn more about their findings here.
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