Japanese chemists have found a way that pgm catalysts could be used in the production of biofuels from plants.

The discovery could mark an important step in producing fuels from renewable resources and a significant new application for pgm catalysts.

The catalysts could ultimately turn relatively indigestible plant materials into so-called biofuels, or important feedstock chemicals.

According to industry publication Chemistry World, Atsush Fukuoka and Paresh Dhepe of Hokkaido University claim to have used platinum and ruthenium, supported on silica or alumina, to convert an aqueous mixture of cellulose and hydrogen gas into glucose.

This sugar was then reduced to form the sugar alcohols sorbitol and mannitol.

Sorbitol can be used to make fuel hydrocarbons, while both sugar alcohols have uses as feedstock compounds.

Mr Fukuoka told Chemistry World that he was optimistic the process had a commercial future.

"I think at this moment that we need complementary use of catalytic processes, enzymatic processes, supercritical fluid methods, and so on," he said.

Ÿ Adfero Ltd