Bio-Inspired Catalysis to Unlock Renewable Chemicals from Biomass
The transition from fossil-derived chemicals to renewable biomass feedstocks is constrained by the challenge of converting key biomass-derived intermediates into high-value chemicals. Current manufacturing routes rely heavily on platinum-group metal catalysts, elevated temperatures and pressures, harsh organic solvents, and energy-intensive processing, while still struggling to achieve high selectivity. These limitations increase production costs and environmental impact, making it challenging to integrate biomass-derived feedstocks into existing chemical manufacturing infrastructure. SCHEMA is addressing these challenges in a collaborative project between the University of Oxford and HydRegen Ltd., which aims to develop a new generation of chemo-biocatalytic processes capable of performing highly selective hydrogenation and oxidation reactions under ambient conditions, using water or greener solvents as the reaction medium.
The partnership combines the University of Oxford's expertise in enzyme-enabled catalysis with HydRegen's capabilities in sustainable biocatalytic technologies to create scalable catalyst systems that operate in existing chemical manufacturing infrastructure, with combined cost and carbon savings. The research will explore continuous-flow manufacturing processes that operate under mild temperature and pressure, enabling direct conversion of biomass derivatives to key chemical intermediates without solvent-intensive purification steps and demonstrating compatibility with green hydrogen generated in-situ from renewable electricity. By delivering cleaner, lower-energy and more selective manufacturing routes for producing renewable chemical intermediates, the collaboration has the potential to reduce reliance on critical raw materials, lower embedded carbon and operating costs, and accelerate the industrial adoption of sustainable chemical manufacturing technologies across the chemicals, polymers and advanced materials sectors.
