Bio-based chemical industry is growing with the NatureWorks valuable Ingeo project

With the requirement of technical development and sustainable energy solutions, everyone is focusing over bio-based industry and chemistry nowadays. According to Steve Davies, the Director of public affairs NatureWorks, bio-based chemistry has attained good position in the international market. The market demand and increasing requirement of getting alternatives for conventional energy sources motivates researchers to discover new options with the bio-based raw materials. Long term growth potential can be judged with variety of factors regarding performance, price, channel development, feedstock diversity and production ability.

Read more about this matter here at - http://greenchemicalsblog.com/2014/08/14/natureworks-interviewed-by-specialchem4bio/

NatureWorks is working hard to find the process of converting methane into lactic acid directly under an R&D contract. This research will help the company to find a feasible way to simplify the Ingeo manufacturing route. Ingeo is competitive for other resins for its performance, competitive price, low carbon footprint. The product is identified by multiple users and producers where performance is the utmost demand. The second plant of the company will be set up with the idea of using sugarcane or cassava for manufacturing of Ingeo. The company is investing in a joint technology development program with Calysta for the feasibility of methane conversion. Alternative feedstocks for Ingeo will support for price stability.

Biotechnology in commercial front with new Coca-cola R&D venture

To accelerate the development of PET bottles totally made out of plant, the Coca-Cola Company declared a partnership worth multi-million dollar with different biotechnology companies. Upholding the industry's recycle requirement, Coca-Cola Company made this partnership with Virent, Gevo and Avantium to produce 100% environment friendly pet bottles. This partnership will encourage biotechnology companies from all over the world to come up with technologies that can replace typical plastic material that vastly used for packaging.

Currently available first generation Plantbottle in the market from the time of introduction in 2009 has 30% biobased material. With a mixture of 30% mono-ethylene glycol made of 100% biobased material and 70% of pure terephthalic acid as source material (http://www.packagedesignmag.com/content/coke-seeds-path-a-100-plant-based-bottle), these bottles meets the industry requirement for recyclability. With 10 billion plantbottle sold in the earth from 2009, Coca-cola estimates over 100,000 metric ton CO2 emission equivalent carbon footprint drop-off. Intended bottles made out of 100% biobased material will help Coca-cola in uplifting ecological footprint of products.

VP of Coca-Cola Company Rick Frazier explains the significance of this research and development related investment to bring bio-based material from libratory in large scale commercial packaging. As a environmental responsibility, Coca-cola company hopes to use total plant-base materials for packaging requirement with the help of Virent, Gevo and Avantium.

Advanced and profit making CO2-to-MEG technology by Liquid Light

A new chapter opens with the recent invention of CO2-to-MEG technology by Liquid Light. Renewable energy resources like wind, solar etc. are the backbone of this technology. The introduction of electrochemistry in the equation has the capability of significantly decreasing carbon footprint of end products. Liquid Light claims, produced MEG with this new technology can competently replace the environmental feedstock-based low cost products.

Industries spend $617 to $1113/ton on feedstock to produce MEG that sells for $700 to $1400 per ton (Source: http://greenchemicalsblog.com/2014/04/07/introducing-liquid-lights-waste-co2-to-meg-tech/).  From the stand point of business economics, with the expenditure of just $125, Liquid light now can help industries produce 1 ton of MEG. The flexibility of altering the catalyst design and the option of using feedstock with CO2 gives them the ability to customize their technology as per industry requirement.

An industrial plant of 400 ktpa with this new technology can provide a $250 million profit to any chemical production company. With the corporate investment opportunity for 625 ktpa plant, a company can be benefited with $850 million in mere 15 years.

To prove the credibility in commercial large-scale set up, a pilot reactor production is under progress and Liquid Light hopes to demonstrate it by 2017-18.  This pilot reactor will have the capability to produce customer requirement specific special chemicals and MEG.