Scientists Turn Trees Into Plastic

Scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have discovered a process by which glucose -- produced by plants during photosynthesis -- can be turned into a basic component of plastic.

The chemists detail in Science how they used metal chlorides—chromium, copper and other metals paired with two or more chlorine atoms—to transform 70 percent of glucose and nearly 90 percent of fructose into HMF. They report that chromium chloride (CrCl2) worked best, apparently by boosting a sugar molecule's ability to open up and shift atoms in its structure as it changed form, although the exact mechanism remains unknown, Zhang says.

The research could become the basis of a process that turns biomass such as trees, cornstalks and algae into feedstock for chemicals, plastics and fuels at roughly 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees
Fahrenheit), which is a lot cooler than the 600 degrees C (1,112
degrees F) needed for oil refining or the high temperatures (as well as pressure) such oil must undergo when it is formed naturally.

If practical on a large scale, the process could signficantly reduce demand for oil, which is currently used to make plastic.

Turning Plants into Plastic—And Replacing Oil in the Process [Scientific American]

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