In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society Gold (JACS Au), a team of researchers led by the University of Minnesota have created a new catalyst technology capable of converting renewable materials such as corn and trees into acrylic acid and acrylates, which are crucial chemicals in producing household items such as polymers, paints, and coatings. This study holds the potential to expand the field of renewable materials for a greener future. This new catalyst technology not only offers high efficiency, along with other benefits, as well.
"Our new catalyst formulation discovery achieves the highest yield to date of acrylic acid from lactic acid," said Dr. Paul Dauenhauer, who is a professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, and a co-author on the study. "We benchmarked the performance of our new catalyst to all prior catalysts, and the performance far exceeds previous examples."
Låkril Technologies Corporation, a Chicago-based startup company who focuses on processes for bio-based acrylic acids and acrylates, is pursuing a license for this new catalyst technology from the University of Minnesota due to its economic opportunity and hopes to continue its development beyond the confines of a laboratory.
"Chemical manufacturing has relied on a class of catalysts called 'zeolites' for half a century," says Dr. Chris Nicholas, CEO of Låkril Technologies. "Because the new catalyst discovery is based on a zeolite formulation already available at scale, our new process to make acrylic acid and acrylates will achieve low cost with low risk."
In the meantime, the research team is being funded by the Center for Sustainable Polymers headquartered at the University of Minnesota to continue their basic research into the catalyst design.
"This is a wonderful example of how addressing important basic research questions that are at the heart of fundamental catalysis can lead to innovative new processes that have true technological promise," said Dr. Marc Hillmyer, who is the director of the Center for Sustainable Polymers and a professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Chemistry. "A grand challenge in the Center for Sustainable Polymers is the efficient and sustainable conversion of biomass to polymer ingredients, and this work represents a groundbreaking solution to that challenge that will have lasting impact."
Sources: Journal of the American Chemical Society Gold, Låkril Technologies Corporation
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