New biomass research lab opened in Far East

A new laboratory to develop technologies to produce high-value chemicals from biomass has opened in Singapore.

The Metabolic Engineering Research Laboratory was officially opened by the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) in December and will design and drive factories that can produce cost-efficient wastes.

 ‘Most of the world's current chemicals and chemical-based products are derived from crude oil. Eco-friendly processes for the next generation of chemicals and materials are urgently required,’ says ICES executive director Keith Carpenter. ‘The possibility of creating an entirely new value chain, deriving materials and chemical products from biomass and through the integration of biological and chemical sciences, with novel techniques and know-how, is definitely an exciting prospect.’