Turning waste into fuel and green solvents

In her most recent work, Wilkanowicz, PhD, and her team demonstrated that electrospinning – a technique usually applied in nanotechnology and biomaterials – can be used to immobilise heterogeneous catalysts (CaO) on polymer fibres. The resulting catalytic mats can be easily separated from the reaction mixture, which significantly simplifies the process of producing biodiesel from vegetable oils or used cooking fats. Moreover, they can be reused directly in subsequent transesterification processes (a chemical reaction in which esters react with alcohols, acids, or other esters to form new esters).

What is more, this technology proved effective not only in fuel production. In another project, it was applied to process polylactide (PLA, a popular biodegradable plastic) waste into a valuable green solvent – methyl lactate. This substance has significant market potential, is widely used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, and is both safe and biodegradable.

“Our goal was to show that waste, which today is a problem, can become a source of valuable raw materials,” stresses Sabina Wilkanowicz, PhD. “This is not only the circular economy in practice, but also a real contribution to reducing emissions and protecting the environment.”

Research results indicate that electrospinning technologies can be a breakthrough in the production of biofuels and green solvents. They make it possible to reduce energy consumption and wastewater in industrial processes, while creating a real alternative to fossil fuels.

“On a global scale, this means not only less environmental burden but also new economic opportunities – from waste recycling to the development of green technologies,” adds the researcher.

Future work of the team will focus on optimising the process and checking whether other biodegradable polymers can serve as catalyst carriers. This is a step towards implementing the technology on an industrial scale and creating plants that would generate energy and useful products instead of waste.

The research was financed, among others, by the Warsaw University of Technology (internal grants) and supported by the Dekaban Foundation and The Dow Sustainability Fellowship in the USA. Part of the experiments was carried out in collaboration with the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), underlining their international scope and significance.