Chemical & Engineering News interviewed Dr. Richard Blair on his innovative method of making sugars from biomass. Dr. Blair recently joined UCF's NanoScience Technology Center as a Visiting Research Professor. He also has joint appointment with the Department of Chemistry.
Blair incorporates a milling process to convert raw materials, using a natural and inexpensive catalyst to convert cellulose into simple sugars. Most techniques used today rely on sulfuric acid to spark the conversion process, resulting in hazardous byproducts that must be reprocessed prior to disposal. Blair's methods are "inherently green and easily scalable."
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