Latvian Scientists Co-generate Bioethanol and Furfural from Wheat Straw

Latvian scientists have succeeded in producing bioethanol and furfural from plant wheat straw. The co-generation of the two products, ethanol and furfural, is what made their method unique.

Ethanol and furfural are two substances that are used in the chemical industry. Both chemicals can be generated from plant material. However, cellulose used for making furfural can no longer be used to produce alcohol. As a result, both ethanol and furfural are often made at different production facilities and by different technologies.

This was the research of a group of Latvian scientists headed by Prof. Alexander Rapoport from the University of Latvia Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology and Prof. Nikolay Vedernikov of the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry.

They changed the mechanism of furfural formation to prevent permanent damage to cellulose, making it viable for ethanol production. The substrate left after furfural formation was then treated with advanced commercial cellulases, followed by a traditional microbiological process of using yeast to generate alcohol.