Quality products made from the waste of food production: scientists of the Hohenheim University in Stuttgart extracted basic chemical building blocks from the chicory root.
About 800,000 metric tons, that is the amount chicory roots left over as waste after the production of chicory salad. The roots are now disposed of in composting or biogas plants after the harvest. What a waste, thought two researchers of the Hohenheim University, because these roots can be used to produce Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). This is a basic material for the future plastics industry.
