LAWRENCE, Kansas – A research team at the University of Kansas has received a $5.6 million grant to find ways to improve many household products.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding research to find ways to replace petroleum-based chemicals used in many of the everyday products. The Kansas research team was one of seven given grants to pursue the project.

The university says many chemicals used in products such as plastics and laundry detergents are made in a process that uses petroleum. The research project will look for ways the same chemicals could be made using biomass products such as nonfood crops and agriculture leftovers.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the grants are part of an effort to produce clean energy and reduce dependence on foreign oil.