Identification of potential market licensees for University of Toronto technology related to the process of chemo-enzymatic synthesis of glucaric acid from xylans

葡萄糖酸是一种平台化学物质，是生物聚合物合成的关键组成部分，包括

Glucaric acid is a platform chemical that serves as a key building block for biopolymer synthesis, including bio-based nylons and hyperbranched polyesters. Glucaric acid is also used as such in phosphate-free detergents along with de-icing agents. The global glucaric acid market size was estimated at USD 550.4 million in 2016 with a projected cumulative average growth rate (CAGR) of 7% during the 2018-2023 period. Presently, glucaric acid is commercially synthesized as glucarate by the non-selective nitric acid oxidation of glucose with a yield of ca. 40 %. This conventional approach suffers from low selectivity, increasing the cost for downstream separation of glucaric acid from other organic acid by-products. Alternatively, glucaric acid or its methylated form (4-O-methyl D-glucaric acid) could be produced from glucuronoxylans, which are a comparatively underused fraction of wood and agricultural biorefineries. Our team established a two-step, one-pot enzymatic process to generate glucaric acid from underused xylans. The new enzymatic process has the potential to make a significant contribution towards meeting unmet market needs. Accordingly, this Market Assessment proposal will outline a pathway that utilizes primary market research methods for measuring the interest and level of key participants across the glucaric acid value chain for this new enzymatic process technology.