IIT-G researchers devise way convert industrial waste into chemicals

Guwahati, Nov 16: A research team at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati has developed efficient “pincer” catalytic systems that transform industrial waste into useful chemicals.
According to the researchers, tiny amounts of the “pincer (crab-like) catalysts” convert large amounts of industrial waste such as glycerol into lactic acid and hydrogen.
“Pincer catalysts also efficiently convert bioethanol, a low-energy density fuel into high-energy density butanol,” a statement issued here on Monday by the institute said.
 “A by-product in biodiesel production, glycerol can be transformed into lactic acid and hydrogen, the former used extensively in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and polymer industries, and the latter in the energy sector. Likewise, ethanol obtained from biomass can be converted into high quality fuel,” the statement said.
The findings have recently appeared in the Royal Society of Chemistry journals, Chemical Communications and Catalysis Science and Technology.

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