Chemicals from Wood Waste
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Researchers in the group of Prof. Hungerbühler evaluated the sustainability and environmental impact of using wood waste as a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative for oil in the production of succinic acid.
Succinic acid is widely used as a starting material in the food, pharmaceutical, automotive, and cosmetics industry. Most of it is nowadays produced from oil. According to the latest study of an international team headed by ETH Zurich scientists in the group of Prof. Hungerbühler, wood waste and a little help from bacteria could be used instead as a renewable resource for succinic acid. The overall production process starting from wood waste is on par with the one based on oil resources in terms of environmental friendliness and cost effectiveness.
Reference
Morales M, Ataman M, Badr S, Linster S, Kourlimpinis I, Papadokonstantakis S, Hatzimanikatis V, Hungerbühler K. external pageSustainability Assessment of Succinic Acid Production Technologies from Biomass using Metabolic Engineering Energy and Environmental Science, 2016.