Recycled Aluminum Biofuel Catalysts

Based in Belfast, researchers have discovered a way to turn aluminum foil waste into a biofuel catalyst. In an academic article recently published in Nature, Queen's University Belfast Early Career Researcher Ahmed I Osman and a team of colleagues consisting of David Rooney, Peter Nockemann, Mathew McLaren, Fathima Laffir and Jehad K Abu-Dahrieh discovered a new scientific method, or "facile green synthetic route for the preparation of highly active γ-Al2O3 from aluminum foil waste."

This solution to aluminum foil waste involves taking used foil and getting pure aluminum salt crystals from it, which can then be used to make alumina catalyst for producing dimethyl ether.

This biofuel catalyst demonstrates how a recycled product can be an improvement on the original item.