http://www.menafn.com/1094110019/Researchers-look-into-potential-of-making-biofuel-from-waste-paper
[Perhaps the paper waste could be pelletized and used as a heating fuel.
There may not be much demand for heating fuel in Oman, but the middle
east is known for energy exports today. The implicit key to this
statement is production of more liquid fuel for the transportation
sector, which is akin to taking coal to Newcastle. As the world
increasingly moves away from paper to digital formats, I wonder how long
the current glut of paper which has been recycled so often it is no
longer suitable for reused as sheet paper will continue. Keeping the
paper out of landfill would presumably prevent most of it from producing
methane - landfill gas - a potent greenhouse gas.]
ENAFN - Muscat Daily - 22/02/2015
(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) Researchers at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU)
are trying to study if paper waste can be used to produce biofuel and
bioplastic.
Titled 'Isolation and identification of thermophilic cellulose producing
bacteria and its potential application in bioconversion of waste paper'
the research which began this January will be conducted in three phases.
The research will be conducted by setting up a pilot scale bioprocessing
laboratory at the college's biology department.
Principal investigator of the study and assistant professor Dr Sivakumar
Nallusamy department of biology at the College of Science in SQU said 'A
major part of the municipal waste in Oman and any part of the world
comprises paper. The proposed research is a unique and challenging
attempt to manage the growing quantity of paper waste which is an
environmental and health concern in any country. We will find out if
this waste could be used to produce biofuel and bioplastic.'
He said that according to a 2010 survey about 1.6mn tonnes of solid
waste is dumped in landfills across Oman every year.
'Of this 62000 tonnes is paper waste. This could be used as a source to
produce an economically important cellulase enzyme. Using the cellulase
enzyme the paper waste could be degraded and as a substrate to produce
commercially important products using suitable microorganisms. So far
there are no national projects that deal with the bioconversion of waste.'
Explaining the process further Dr Nallusamy said 'Cellulose is an
important plant polymer and one of the most abundant and renewable
carbon sources on earth. Cellulases are inducible enzymes produced by
microorganisms to degrade cellulose when cellulosic materials are
supplied as substrates. Application of cellulase enzymes in paper
detergent and leather industries demands the finding of highly stable
enzymes active at extreme pH and temperature.
'In this study microbes will be collected from different environment and
will be tested for their cellulase producing capability. The best native
microbes would be used for the bioconversion of paper wastes.'
The project will be funded by The Research Council till 2017. The
outcome of this project could open avenues for large scale production if
taken up by industries.
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