University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers develop pre-bioplastic compound

In Wisconsin, a team of chemical and biological engineers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has found a way to produce from biomass a valuable compound used in plastic production that they estimate could lower the cost of ethanol produced from plant material by more than two dollars per gallon.

The development is the latest in an ongoing effort at UW–Madison to create commodity chemicals currently derived from petroleum out of biomass. These bio-derived chemicals could serve as high value byproducts of the biofuels manufacturing process, improving the economics of refining fuels from cellulose.