Research team led by Dr. Min Kyoung Seon at the Gwangju Clean Energy Research Center of Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) has developed a technology capable of transforming waste materials, such as corn cobs, into a high-value biofuel known as levulinic acid.

By utilizing statistical methods to optimize the concentration of acid catalyst, reaction temperature and time, the research team achieved success in enhancing the yield of levulinic acid production from corn cobs.

These findings have the potential to revolutionize the biofuel industry, particularly in the realm of long-distance transportation that heavily relies on energy-dense fuel sources. The research results were published in March in the international journal Bioresource Technology.