Production of Diverse Plastic Feedstock from Biomass using Enzymatic Treatment Technology

Abstract

Currently, most plastic production from biomass either utilises the extracted oils, fat and sugar components as they are or breaks down the constituent sugar components into monosaccharides, which are then converted into monomers and polymerized to obtain plastics. In the former case, there is often competition for food, and in the latter case, the conversion process is economically and energy inefficient. Therefore, this study aims to develop a technology that enables cascade utilization of biomass according to its tissue structure and molecular weight. In other words, when unused biomass is converted by enzymes, we aim to develop a “biomass fractionation technology” in which, depending on the degree of enzymatic treatment, the parts that tend to remain as fiber and components that are chemically difficult to break down, are used as polysaccharides and oligosaccharides. The parts that are easily broken down are then used as monosaccharides.