SBIR Phase I: Renewable Cellulosic Emulsions

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力在于释放使用水性胶体乳液的潜力，而不是目前用于制造多种产品的石油基材料，包括包装，建筑材料，涂料，油漆，粘合剂，化妆品甚至是260亿美元聚合物乳液行业的药品。这种替代将满足国家和全球对使用可持续原材料和实现温室气体净零排放的新需求。 由此产生的更清洁和更环保的产品可能会加速化学工业向生物基产品的转变。 该第一阶段项目提出使用溶剂化纤维素和离子液体来制造工业纤维素乳液。该项目旨在开发一种高价值、可持续、可回收的解决方案，可以与丙烯酸乳液相同或更低的价格提供，从而最大限度地降低成本并最大限度地提高产量。研究将集中在纤维素的选择和预处理，离子液体和表面活性剂的选择，乳液工艺的开发和优化。对更高的纤维素负载量、乳液颗粒形态的控制和乳液稳定性的要求，以及实现经济上有吸引力的成本结构的需要，提出了重大的技术挑战。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 I project is in unlocking the potential to use aqueous colloidal emulsions instead of petroleum-based materials currently used to manufacture a multitude of products including packaging, building materials, coatings, paints, adhesives, cosmetics and even pharmaceuticals in the $26B polymer emulsion industry. Such a replacement would address the emerging national and global need to use sustainable raw materials and deliver net zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The resultant cleaner and greener products are likely to accelerate the chemical industry's shift towards bio-based products. This Phase I project proposes to create industrial cellulosic emulsions using solvated cellulose with the use of ionic liquids. The project aims to develop a high value, sustainable, recyclable solution that can be offered at the same or lower price as an acrylic emulsion, minimizing cost and maximizing throughput. The research will focus on the selection and pre-treatment of cellulose, the selection of ionic liquids and surfactants, emulsion process development, and optimization. Significant technical challenges are posed by the requirements for higher cellulose loadings, control of emulsion particle morphology, and emulsion stability, as well as the need to achieve an economically attractive cost structure. Additional challenges come from tuning these parameters for specific industrial applications.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.