National Sun Yat-sen University / Professor Yuan-Chung Lin

 Pain Points Solved 

Biofuels can be regarded as one of the potential pathways to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and alleviate related unsustainable environmental issues. Specifically, they can address the following aspects:

1. Among various alternative energy sources, bioethanol is currently a type of fuel that has attracted significant attention.
2. Bioethanol can be used alone or blended with gasoline as a vehicle fuel, making it, along with biodiesel, one of the most representative forms of renewable energy.
3. The use of ionic liquids to dissolve agricultural waste can effectively catalyze components of lignocellulosic materials, including hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin.

 Technology Introduction 

This study employed a microwave system to process phytoremediation plants (miscanthus and cattail) and biomass crops (jatropha), in combination with eco-friendly liquids, to produce biodiesel and bioethanol. Key parameters were controlled in the experimental design, including microwave power, reaction time, eco-friendly solvent volume, and a self-prepared high-efficiency catalyst, all of which affected the sugar conversion rate from hydrolysis. As a result, the total sugar yield increased by 3.4 times for miscanthus and 3.32 times for cattail.

In this study, cattail was used as the substrate for fermentation by utilizing an optimal suspended bacterial strain. After 18 hours of cultivation, ethanol production increased to 50–52 g/L. Furthermore, the optimal transesterification efficiency for jatropha reached approximately 75.8 (±0.1)% to 95.7 (±0.5)%.

 Application Examples 

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 Patent Name and Number 

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 Industry-Academia / Tech Transfer Partner 

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 Honors and Awards  

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 Technical Contact  

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