Transforming sugar into a valuable chemical: A scientific breakthrough that opens the door to an environmentally friendly chemical industry

Transforming sugar into a valuable chemical: A scientific breakthrough that opens the door to an environmentally friendly chemical industry
Turning Sugar into a Valuable Chemical: A Scientific Breakthrough Opens the Door to an Environmentally Friendly Chemical Industry  A research team from the U.S. Department of Energy's Center for Advanced Innovation in Bioenergy and Bioproducts at the University of Illinois at Capy has successfully converted sugar molecules into a valuable chemical used in the manufacture of baby diapers, paints, and plastics. This scientific breakthrough opens the door to a less polluting and more profitable chemical industry. The substance produced is 3-hydroxypropionic acid, the building block for acrylic acid, one of the world's most important industrial chemicals. The acrylic acid market is estimated at around $20 billion, with global demand exceeding 6.6 million tons annually. The primary method for producing acrylic acid relies on petroleum derivatives through energy-intensive chemical processes, making it expensive and environmentally damaging. However, the research team succeeded in conve…

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