SBIR Phase II: A New Bio-based Monomer for the Coatings Industry

这一小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是提供国内生产的可再生生物质替代品，以替代目前由石油制成的产品。 SBIR第二阶段项目将展示从玉米棒等农业废弃物生产1，5-戊二醇（1，5-PDO）的商业潜力，1，5-PDO是一种用于制造涂料，粘合剂和塑料的关键化学品。生物质化学品可以减少国家对石油的依赖，减少温室气体排放，同时提供具有成本竞争力的高性能化学产品。利用非食用农业原料生产高价值的商品化学品有望为生物基废弃物创造新的市场。该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二期项目将产生必要的实验数据，以设计生产可再生生物基1，5-戊二醇的商业反应器。生产生物基1，5-戊二醇的化学途径已经在实验室反应器中使用商业上相关的反应器和催化剂得到证实。 在这项工作中，广泛的反应器操作条件将在实验室中进行探索，以扩大该过程。这些操作条件将在更大的中试规模设备中得到进一步证明，以告知商业规模的设计。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to provide domestic production of renewable, biomass-based alternatives to products currently made from oil. This SBIR Phase II project will demonstrate the commercial potential of producing 1,5-pentanediol (1,5-PDO), a key chemical used to manufacture coatings, adhesives, and plastics, from agricultural wastes like corn cobs. Biomass-based chemicals can decrease the nation's dependence on oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while providing cost-competitive high-performance chemical products. Creating high-value commodity chemicals using nonfood agricultural materials as feedstock promises to create new markets for bio-based waste products.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will generate the necessary experimental data to design commercial reactors for producing renewable bio-based 1,5-pentanediol. A chemical pathway to produce bio-based 1,5-pentanediol has been demonstrated in laboratory reactors using commercially relevant reactors and catalysts. In this work a wide range of reactor operating conditions will be explored in the laboratory for scale-up of the process. These operating conditions will be further demonstrated in larger pilot-scale equipment to inform design at commercial scale.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.