Researchers in the US have devised a strategy for turning sugar into petrol with the help of a platinum-rhenium catalyst, it was reported yesterday (18th September).

The team, led by James Dumesic at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, managed to use catalytic conversions to change simple sugars into hydrocarbons that can be blended to make fuel for vehicles.

The discovery - which provides an alternative to fermenting plant-derived sugars into ethanol - involved taking aqueous solutions of simple sugars such as glucose and sorbitol and reacting them over the platinum-rhenium catalyst.

Mr Dumesic told RSC.org: "Most of the oxygen atoms are removed, leaving an oily mixture of alcohols, ketones, carboxylic acids and some cyclic compounds.

"These compounds are monofunctional - they only have one functional group, which makes them much more adaptable for subsequent conversion.

"Petroleum has a high energy density, and not all engines currently in use are suitable for conversion to run on ethanol."

Although the finding marks a significant step forward, Mr Dumesic also explained that it may be some time before the new system can be implemented commercially on a mass scale.

He warned that developing fuels from biomass requires a sustainable source of sugars which will not displace the production of food.

He added: "There are many people looking to make sugars from non-edible cellulose and that work needs to continue."



Source:

Bio-petroleum made from sugars (18/09/08)
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2008/September/18090803.asp