A strategy to utilize corncobs to generate porous carbonaceous materials has been reported by scientists from Spain and the Philippines, which were then used to generate biodiesel from waste oils.
There has been increased focus on reducing organic wastes in industry and for providing and utilizing renewable chemicals and fuels. Waste valorisation is attracting considerable attention, providing an alternative to the disposal of a range of waste materials in landfill sites. In particular, the valorisation of food wastes is considered to be very promising.
In this work, researchers led by Rick Arneil Arancon and Rafael Luque utilized corncobs, which are a common food waste, and generated microporous carbonaceous material. The material was then subsequently sulfonated to give a solid acid catalyst which exhibited excellent activity in the simultaneous esterification/transesterification of waste oils.
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Valorisation of corncob residues to functionalised porous carbonaceous materials for the simultaneous esterification/transesterification of waste oils, Rick Arneil Arancon, Higinio R. Barros Jr, Alina M. Balu, Carolina Vargas and Rafael Luque, Green Chem., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1GC15908A
