BM2C6
By means of the new BM2C6 project, we aim to create a unprecedented value chain starting from biomass up to C6 monomers. All process steps will be demonstrated on pilot scale. This project is expected to show both ecologic and economic benefits for the entire value chain. This will give a wide range of opportunities to industrial partners to step in and differentiate themselves in sustainable activities.
Project summary
The chemical industry is seeking alternatives for fossil-based products to achieve the climate targets. InSciTe contributes to the development of products and intermediates with a reduced environmental footprint both in commodity and specialty applications.
Timeline: 01/10/2020 - 31/12/2021
Contact: Romano Orrù or Yvonne van der Meer
Proprietary technology provided by first biobased project InSciTe
The road from biomass to C6 monomers goes via different process steps. This includes application testing of all products and co-products. It all starts with levulinic acid (LA), produced from woody biomass. Levulinic acid is recognized as a major stepping stone to ‘green’ a wide range of down-stream products. Moreover, its high carbon yield and energy yield ensures excellent sustainability and process economics.
With green LA at fossil price level at hand, the project builds on earlier developed chemical conversions in the LA value chain towards the green platform dimethyladipate (DMA) in InSciTe’s first biobased project: LA2AA.
In InSciTe’s multipurpose pilot plant at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus, DMA will be produced from methyl pentanoates (MPs), carbon monoxide and methanolby by means of a methoxy-carbonylation reaction including dissolved catalyst (homcat).
The final step in covering the whole value chain delivers scalable lab recipes to convert DMA to C6-polymers and intermediates for the production of polyamide-66 (PA66), polyurethane (PU), adhesives, coatings and elastomers.
In this project, the Orru-group of AMIBM develops robust carbonylation and imidoylation catalysts and find a process to elaborate the bio-based building blocks into high-commodity materials.
The Life Cycle Assessment of the new value chains to assess the environmental profile will be done by the group of Yvonne van der Meer.
So, all in all, in the BM2C6 project we are demonstrating the entire biomass to C6-polymers value chain.
