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[steve_ell]

Discuss the potential of cellulose as a raw material to build petrochemicals (6 marks)

i dont know where to start and what equasions to use.

 

[~*HSC 4 life*~]

use the fermentation of glucose equation to exemplify how it can be used to make ethanol

C6H1206 -----zymase----> 2C2H50H + 2CO2

but also discuss how the limitation is that we cannot currently obtain glucose from cellulose.

 

[Paroissien]

What do you mean it isn't possible to obtain glucose from cellulose?
This might be wrong, but according to the Macquarie Revision Guide sulfuric acid hydrolysis of cellulose results in the formation of glucose. Although it does say that it hasn't been developed into a viable industry yet.
Can someone clear this up for me.

 

[Xayma]

It probably is true, but to do so on a commercial scale the use of fossil fuels would still be cheaper

 

[tennille]

It is not impossible to get glucose from cellulose, however, there is no simple or efficient way of breaking cellulose into glucose. This is from the Conquering Chemistry text book.

 

[Paroissien]

It is not impossible to get glucose from cellulose, however, the is no simple or efficient way of breaking cellulose into glucose. This is from the Conquering Chemistry text book.

That sentence doesn't really make sense, so I'm assuming you meant 'it IS possible to get glucose from cellulose'
Am I right?

EDIT: Ahh ok. My eye just skimmed straight over the 'im'

 

[~*HSC 4 life*~]

she said it is not impossible...ie it is possible...double negatives but it still makes sense

 

[steph@nie]

I think i took this from conq chem,

Cellulose has a 6 arbon chain present. these have attached hydroxy and hydrogen groups. The carbon chain sections could be changed to chemicals, that at present are mostly made from pertroleum. If a chemical process could be developed or a micro organism found to break the cellulose into glucose it would be very useful. However, since there is none, it has been a stumbling block to the use of cellulose as a raw material for plastics. Nevertheless, considerable scientific effort is being currently being put into using cellulose as an alternative source.

 

[tennille]

It does make sense but I guess not in this context- I must have read the question wrong, so I'll rephrase it.

It is possible to get glucose from cellulose, however, there is no simple or efficient way of breaking cellulose into glucose. This is from the Conquering Chemistry text book.

 

[tennille]

Cellulose does have 3 or 4 carbon atoms present but the statement, "each glucose unit of cellulose has 4 carbon atoms joined together in a chain" in the text book is incorrect. There are 6 carbon atoms joined in a chain. This was an error that was displyed on the Conquering Chemistry website.

 

[steph@nie]

oh yeh... my teacher told me that... i forgot to change it. thanks.

 

[tennille]

No problems.