Yan Zhao gestured toward the trees outside his campus window on a rainy afternoon.

The professor of chemistry at Iowa State University is developing new synthetic catalysts to break down cellulose, the plant fibers that make those trees tall and strong.

“Cellulose is built to last — a tree doesn’t just disappear after rain,” Zhao said. “Cellulose is a huge challenge to break down.”

Zhao thinks he has an idea and a technology that can get the job done, making plant biomass a practical source of sugars that can be converted to many applications, including fuels and chemicals.

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[ASBMB Today, 2023.9.9, https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/science/090923/chemists-build-synthetic-catalysts-to-break-down-b]