Transforming biomass

Most of the chemical products and energy we use everyday come from fossil fuel resources.

Biomass has been widely identified as a sustainable alternative for fossil fuels. It can be obtained from natural sources as well as from various agricultural and industrial waste streams.

Here are just some of the familiar products we can make using biomass resources
...with a little help from catalysts

A flask of fermentation broth beside a bottle of nail varnish remover
Fermentation broth to nail varnish remover
A beaker of paper waste beside three tubes of acrylic paint
Paper sludge to acrylic paint
A bottle of wastewater beside a gas cannister
Refinery wastewater to combustible gas
A dish of woodchips beside a petrol can
Woodchips to liquid fuels
Maize husks beside a bottle of shampoo
Corn husk to shampoo
A choc-ice beside a white lab coat
Ice-cream to bio-plastic fabrics
A beaker of straw beside a car tyre
Straw to car tyre
Dandelion clocks in a beaker beside a box of blue latex gloves
Dandelions to latex gloves
A beaker of algae beside a black trainer
Algae to trainers
More about the science of biomass catalysis