It was a chemical breakthrough. According to a report in New Scientist, Yuan Kou at Peking University in Beijing, China, and his team have efficiently transformed sawdust into alkanes and alcohols needed for biofuels.
The deciding step in process is a lignin breakdown reaction. Lignin contains carbon-oxygen-carbon bonds that link together smaller hydrocarbon chains. Breaking down those C-O-C bonds is the key to unlock the smaller hydrocarbons.
The discovery could help to form a second generation of biofuels by breaking down larger plant molecules. So relieving the pressure on corn an sugar cane production, putted in direct competition with food prices.
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