Scientists from universities in Barcelona , Madrid , Mexico and Brazil are working to turn excess gold , a by - product of biofuel creation , into medical , agricultural and cosmetics products , says a paper published in Applied Organic Synthesis . However, much more glycerol is obtained in the production of biofuels – many thousands of tons a year. Using gold catalyst , the teams were able to obtain aldehydes , carboxylic acids and esters . Efforts are now focused on extending the shelf life of the gold catalysts , which are very rapidly deactivated currently .
Scientists from universities in Barcelona , Madrid , Mexico and Brazil are working to turn excess gold , a by - product of biofuel creation , into medical , agricultural and cosmetics products , says a paper published in Applied Organic Synthesis . Using gold catalyst , the teams were able to obtain aldehydes , carboxylic acids and esters . Efforts are now focused on extending the shelf life of the gold catalysts , which are very rapidly deactivated currently .