Researchers from IIT-G devises technique to transform industrial wastes into chemicals

Guwahati: The researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati have developed a "pincer" catalytic systems, which transforms industrial/biomass wastes into valuable chemicals.

According to the team of researchers, small amounts of these pincer catalysts repeatedly convert large amounts of industrial waste such as glycerol into lactic acid and hydrogen.

Such catalysts can also efficiently convert bioethanol, a low-energy-density fuel into high-energy-density butanol.

The findings of the research have appeared in the Royal Society of Chemistry journals, Chemical Communications and Catalysis Science & Technology.

What attracted interest from people across the world is the conversion of valuable intermediates like glycerol and ethanol, produced during the processing of biomass, into industrially useful chemicals.

IIT Guwahati in a statement said that Glycerol, which is a by-product in biodiesel production, can be transformed into lactic acid and hydrogen. Lactic acid can be extensively used in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and polymer industries. Hydrogen is used in the energy sector.

In the same manner, ethanol, which is obtained from biomass can be converted into high-quality fuel. "While bioethanol has lower energy density than gasoline and corrodes engine parts when used directly, it can be transformed into higher energy butanol that is immiscible in water and noncorrosive in nature," the IIT-G statement added.

The team of scientists from IIT-G consists of Dr Akshai Kumar Alape Seetharam of the Department of Chemistry and Centre for Nanotechnology, Dr Hemant Kumar Srivastava, currently at National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) Guwahati, research scholars Moumita Dutta, Kanu Das, Siriyara Jagannatha Prathapa, Dr Babulal Das and Eileen Yasmin.

The conversion of glycerol and ethanol into such useful products hinges on the development of efficient catalysts that can bring about these transformations.

Dr Hemant Kumar Srivastava Dr Akshai Kumar works towards the development of catalysts that can bring about such industrially important transformations.

They have also developed 'pincer catalysts', which selectively converts glycerol to lactic acid and bio-ethanol to butanol. The IIT Guwahati researchers have rationally designed and tested a library of such catalysts to use for the transformations.

The pincer catalyst with the least crowding around the metal centre was the most efficient one.

The results of these experiments by the researchers have been validated by theoretical studies. The team further plans to take the bench-scale reactions to pilot-plant scale and finally, to the commercial level with industrial collaboration.

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