A Tel Aviv University breakthrough allows, for the first time, a local production of ethanol—and hand sanitizer—based on plant and paper waste, using a novel lignin (a substance found in plants) degradation process. This revolutionary process could significantly reduce production costs and lead to a decrease in the use of edible plant sources, help protect the environment, and reduce the use of various pollutants (e.g., pest control agents) and greenhouse gases emissions due to environmentally-friendly waste processing.
The research revealed a successful conversion of plant and paper waste into ethanol, the main raw material required for hand sanitizer production. Following the successful experiments, a US patent, based on the process of ethanol production from paper and cardboard recycling waste, was recently registered by TAU.
The global coronavirus crisis has led to a worldwide increase in demands for alcohol (ethanol) based disinfectants, such as alcogel and septol. Ethanol is mostly produced from plants that are used as food sources, such as corn, sugarcane and other carbohydrate-rich crops, and is used mainly as a biological fuel, which has reduced carbon emissions when compared to oil. However, ethanol production is environmentally polluting, since it requires the allocation of large areas for corn cultivation, as well as the use of pest control agents and large amounts of water.
Source: Phys.org
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