Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast have developed a novel green route to convert aluminum foil waste Researcher Ahmed Osman discovered a way to convert dirty aluminum foil into a biofuel catalyst. (Source: Queen's University Belfast)into highly active nano-mesoporous alumina. A crystallization method yields 100 percent pure single crystals of aluminum salts – the starting material for alumina catalyst preparation – from contaminated foil.

The process is more environmentally benign than traditional alumina production, which requires the mining of bauxite ore. The resulting foil-based alumina is also cheaper than the commercial catalyst currently available on the market for the production of dimethyl ether biofuel. Producing catalyst from aluminum foil costs about £120 ($157 USD) per kilogram while the commercial alumina catalyst comes in at around £305 ($399 USD) per kilogram.

The method produces a mesoporous catalyst with higher surface area, larger pore volume and stronger acidity compared to commercially manufactured catalysts. Its unique thermal, chemical and mechanical stability means it can also be used as an absorbent, in electronic device fabrication, as a cutting tool material or as an alternative for surgical material for implants.