The first demo-scale conversion of wheat straw into cellulosic isobutene has been successfully carried out by France’s Global Bioenergies, with technologies from European chemical firms Clariant and INEOS. In the US, a pilot project is being conducted at the University of California, Berkeley, to convert corn stover into ethanol using an enzyme called alpha-amylase that converts it back into cellulose in less than The project is being carried out under the €9.8m ($11m) OPTISOCHEM scheme, backed by the Bio Based Industry-Joint Undertaking, as part of the EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
The first demo-scale conversion of wheat straw into cellulosic isobutene has been successfully carried out by France’s Global Bioenergies, with technologies from European chemical firms Clariant and INEOS. The long-term goal is to turn the renewable bio-isobutene into oligomers and polymers for use in plastics, solvents, fuels or other applications. The project is being carried out under the €9.8m ($11m) OPTISOCHEM scheme, backed by the Bio Based Industry-Joint Undertaking, as part of the EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.