The name Carbolea is derived from a combination of the words carbohydrate and petroleum and reflects the research focus of the Group. This is principally on the production of chemicals and fuels analagous to those from fossil fuel (petroleum) resources but from renewable feedstocks, such as woods and grasses, or from waste materials. These feedstocks are typically predominately composed of carbohydrates and there exist several methods for processing these to high value end products, either by hydrolytic biorefining mechanisms or by thermochemical processes such as pyrolysis and gasification. The group is located in the University of Limerick and consists of a broad range of scientists including: chemical engineers, soil scientists, analytical experts, catalyst researchers and organic chemistry experts.