Catalyst Producing Renewable Paints

Researchers Discover Catalyst for Producing Renewable Paints and Coatings A team led by researchers at the University of Minnesota has invented breakthrough new catalyst technology that converts renewable materials such as wood and corn into acrylic acid and acrylates, key chemicals used in paints, coatings, and super-absorbent polymers. The new catalyst technology provides lower costs for the production of renewable chemicals, making it highly efficient in this respect. The new catalyst formulation converts lactic acid-based chemicals derived from corn into acrylic acid and acrylates with the highest yield achieved to date. The technology exhibits significantly higher performance when compared to other leading catalyst classes. The research was published online in Journal of the American Chemical Society Gold (JACS Au). Acrylic acid and related acrylates are known for their use in everyday products such as paints and coatings, adhesives, and super-absorbent materials used in diapers. These chemicals and materials were made from fossil fuels until the past century. However, in recent years, the corn industry has begun to move beyond food and animal feed production to generate useful chemicals. One chemical derived from corn is sustainable lactic acid, an important component in the production of renewable and compostable plastic used in many everyday applications. Lactic acid can also be converted into acrylic acid and acrylates using catalysts. However, until this new catalyst discovery, traditional catalysts were quite inefficient and expensive. Paul Dauenhauer, a professor at the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering, states: "Our discovery of the new catalyst formulation achieves the highest acrylic acid yield from lactic acid to date. We compared the performance of our new catalyst with all previous catalysts and found that the performance far exceeded the previous examples." The new catalyst formulation significantly reduces the production cost of renewable acrylic acid and acrylates from corn by increasing yield and reducing waste. This development could for the first time bring the price of renewable acrylic acid below that of fossil-based chemicals. The research team plans to continue their fundamental research in catalyst design to understand the basic aspects of chemistry, with financial support from the Center for Sustainable Polymers. Marc Hillmyer, director at the Center for Sustainable Polymers and professor at the College of Science and Engineering, states: "This is a wonderful example of how addressing fundamental research questions at the heart of basic catalysis can lead to innovative processes with real technological promise. A major challenge at the Center for Sustainable Polymers is the efficient and sustainable conversion of biomass into polymer components, and this work represents a breakthrough solution that will have lasting impact on that challenge." The research team was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation through the NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers, a team of researchers from different universities investigating how plastics are made and recycled through innovative research. Source: https://twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/chemical-researchers-discover-catalyst-make-renewable-paints-coatings-and-diapers