| Budget Amount *help |
¥16,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥13,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥3,900,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥5,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,200,000)
Fiscal Year 2019: ¥5,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,200,000)
Fiscal Year 2018: ¥6,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,500,000)
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Cellulose and chitin are abundant and renewable resources, but they are very recalcitrant. To convert the biomass molecules efficiently, we came up with a new idea for preparing catalysts that use interactions working among non-polar groups. This approach achieved the high yielding synthesis of oligosaccharides by the hydrolysis of the biomass in the presence of mechanical forces. Our study shows the synergy between non-polar interactions and weak acid catalysis to achieve the high performance. We have also clarified the reaction mechanism of how mechanical forces work. Specifically, the classical physics simulations and quantum calculations have indicated that compressive forces activate the biomass molecules towards hydrolysis. We have also revealed that the monomer of chitin, N-acetylglucosamine, can be converted to a standard amino acid and a cyclic compound. The latter is a potential monomer for nitrogen-containing polymers.
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