The University of Minnesota has developed a method to improve biofuel production
The University of Minnesota has developed a method to improve biofuel production
University of Minnesota has developed a method to improve biofuel production
American scientists have developed a computer-based screening method that identifies materials capable of improving the biofuel production process.
A research team from the University of Minnesota, in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory, has led a number of studies aimed at improving the efficiency of biofuel production. Scientists propose using aluminosilicate and zeolite as molecular sieves, either to filter chemical components or to act as catalysts for chemical reactions. There are now more than 200 different types of zeolite available.
The main aim of this research is to identify the most efficient zeolite. A virtual environment was created in which zeolite productivity was assessed within a specific area of application.
Ilja Siepman, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota, announced that using the supercomputer developed by Argonne National Laboratory had made it possible to replace decades of laboratory research with a single day of computer simulation. After analysing 800,000 processes, the scientists identified a number of zeolites capable of resolving two complex issues.
The first relates to the multi-stage process of biofuel purification, where the final stage involves separating ethanol from water. Several quartz zeolites were found to have the ability to adsorb ethanol and reject hydrogen at the molecular level. One of these minerals proved so efficient that it could transform the multi-stage process of separating water and ethanol into a single-stage adsorption method.
The research team is also focusing on the modernisation of hydrocarbon compounds in high-quality diesel fuel and lubricants.
Michael Deem, head of the Department of Bioengineering at Rice University in Houston, announced that the search for such sorbents and catalysts was a priority in their work, although the main objectives of the research had already been defined.
Source: The University of Minnesota has developed a method to improve biofuel production
