AVS 53rd International Symposium
    Plasma Science and Technology Tuesday Sessions
       Session PS1-TuA

Paper PS1-TuA8
Novel Technique for Processing Biomass by way of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Processing

Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 4:20 pm, Room 2009

Session: Emerging Plasma Applications
Presenter: C.J. Oldham, North Carolina State University
Authors: C.J. Oldham, North Carolina State University
M.R. King, North Carolina State University
J.J. Cuomo, North Carolina State University
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Cellulosic materials are found in rich quantities in nature. The cellulosic materials represent a large natural resource of significant sugars for use in alcohols and other industrial products. Research on conversion of cellulosic materials such as corn stover, maple sawdust, cotton, switch grass, and others to alcohol has been heavily researched for the last few decades. Regardless of the amount of research devoted to these processes, there are problems associated with each and none are able to be scaled into an economically feasible process. Due to recent concern over energy prices and uncertainty in the oil supply, new interest has been generated for an economical process for producing alcohol from biomass. We have discovered that atmospheric pressure plasma can be used to disrupt the structure of biomass to efficiently release sugars from their binders by plasma enhanced "soft-hydrolysis". We have termed "soft-hydrolysis" to define a process for degrading cellulosic materials where in the conditions are less severe than current hydrolysis techniques. Due to radical formation in the plasma, degradation of the protective coating on the cellulosic material allows for access to the internal structure of value, i.e. the sugars in the material. Our results are significant due to the need for an alternative to current techniques requiring large concentrations of acid, high temperatures, and expensive enzymes. Plasma enhanced "soft-hydrolysis" represents a long felt need for an economical and ecological alternative for converting biomass to usable alcohols.