Researchers produce hollow carbon particles from biomass

nanowerk.com
Posted: March 3, 2009

(Nanowerk News) Katsumi Kamegawa, the Biomass Refining Technology Team, the Biomass Technology Research Center of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), has developed a new method for producing ultra-lightweight hollow carbon fine particles (diameters ranging from several nanometers to several tens of micrometers) from lignin, which is a byproduct obtained in large quantities during the manufacture of paper or bio-ethanol, and inorganic salts.

Global warming and depletion of oil reserves are issues of global concern; hence, it is desirable to use biological resources in place of fossil resources such as oil. It is noteworthy that almost 7 million tons of lignin, which is a biological resource (biomass), is produced as a byproduct of paper manufacturing in Japan every year, and is generally burnt as waste.

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