The world would be a greener place if we derived all the chemicals our industries need from plants. These so-called agrochemicals are generally biodegradable and far less toxic than chemicals derived from oil (petrochemicals), and they are renewable, which means we'd never run out. Unfortunately, agrochemicals cost too much to produce.
Rathin Datta, a chemical engineer at Argonne National Laboratory, has taken a small step toward bringing costs down, at least for one type of agrochemical. Lactate esters, solvents made from cornstarch or sugar, could be widely used in semiconductor chip manufacturing, in stripping paint and de-inking paper for recycling, and in household cleaners and degreasers if only researchers could find a way to make them cheaper than their present price of $1.60 to $2 a pound. The problem has been that conventional processes for making the lactate esters are very inefficient, largely because they lack a good means of ...
