Analytical and Bioanalytical Methodology

Dr. Ramanujachary will be participating at the World Conference on Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry held by Scientific Federation. Dr. Ramanujachary has completed his PhD from Indian Institute of Technology, and postdoctoral studies from Rutgers University, NJ, University, USA. He is currently working as a professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Rowan University. He has published more than 220 papers in reputed journals and holds several patents. Dr. Ramanujachary is going to talk on ‘Analytical Methods for the Conversion of Wasted Biomass to Value Added Chemicals’ A brief summary is presented here.

Rapid depletion of non-renewable fossil resources is posing an imminent threat to the energy and supply of fine chemicals that are vital to the global economy. Conversion of Biomass to value added chemicals has been on the forefront of strategies that are focused on eliminating our dependence on non-renewable resources such as coal and petroleum. Studies in the last two decades have resulted in the efficient conversion of corn to ethanol, at the same time escalating the corn prices beyond the reach of poor. In our research we have shifted our focus to the utilization of wasted biomass which does not interfere with the human or animal food chain. Use of sugar cane bagasse, switch grass, corn stover and wood from natural forests has been contemplated for bio-mass conversion to renewable fuels/chemicals. In this context, there exists a dire need to develop novel analytical separation methods and cost-effective materials to increase the efficiency of the conversion processes. For the conversion we have designed and developed novel catalytic materials with the efficiencies superior to those that currently exist. They have conducted the research in several phases in which the biomass is pretreated and the cellulose component has been separated from the lignin using mild and non-corrosive acids. The cellulose is subsequently converted to sugars which are broken down to glucose and fructose. Dehydration of sugars to hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) is achieved by a novel catalyst featuring both Lewis and Bronstead acid sites. The presentation will summarize the importance of analytical techniques in the determination/separation of various products and opportunities for exploring inorganic materials for the production of value added chemicals and fuels.
For more information : http://www.scientificfederation.com/analytical-chemistry-2018/