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Brief Communications

Nature 438, 178 (10 November 2005) | doi:10.1038/438178a; Published online 9 November 2005

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Green chemistry: Biodiesel made with sugar catalyst

Masakazu Toda1, Atsushi Takagaki1, Mai Okamura1, Junko N. Kondo1, Shigenobu Hayashi2, Kazunari Domen3 & Michikazu Hara1

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The production of diesel from vegetable oil calls for an efficient solid catalyst to make the process fully ecologically friendly. Here we describe the preparation of such a catalyst from common, inexpensive sugars. This high-performance catalyst, which consists of stable sulphonated amorphous carbon, is recyclable and its activity markedly exceeds that of other solid acid catalysts tested for 'biodiesel' production.

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