Industrial Chemicals from Biorenewables Brent Shanks Chemical & Biological Engineering Department Iowa State University

Outline Background Background Industrial chemicals Industrial chemicals –Overview of the current industry –Role of biorenewables

Let’s start with some perspective Transportation fuel demand (2003) Transportation fuel demand (2003) –Gasoline: 8,900,000 barrels/day –Diesel: 3,900,000 barrels/day Biorenewable fuels Biorenewable fuels –Ethanol: 440,000 barrels/day (2005) –Biodiesel: ~1000 barrels/day (2005)

Maximum U.S. Production Capacity Corn Corn –Production: 11 billion bushels/year –Biofuel Potential: 2,000,000 barrels/day Soybeans Soybeans –Production: 3 billion bushels/year –Biofuel Potential: 260,000 barrels/day

Rough U.S. Biofuel Economics EthanolBiodiesel Feedstock, cpg Opex & Capex, cpg 7540 Total Equivalent Crude Price, $/barrel 96167

Lignocellulosic Biomass Cellulose: 38%–50% Most abundant form of carbon in biosphere Polymer of glucose Hemicellulose: 23%–32% Polymer of 5- and 6-carbon sugars Xylose is the second most abundant sugar in the biosphere Lignin: 15%–25% Complex aromatic structure p-hydroxyphenylpropene building blocks

Personal Care Products  Building Materials $400+ billion Enterprise U.S. Chemical Enterprise

Chemical Industry Sustainability One use Carbon Renewable Carbon

Why Biorenewable Industrial Chemicals? Better match between demand and feedstock. Better match between demand and feedstock. Selling price higher for chemicals than fuels. Selling price higher for chemicals than fuels.

Birth of Industrial Chemicals What do we do with this refinery byproduct? What do we do with this refinery byproduct? Not the reasons: Not the reasons: –High value products from crude oil. –Production of materials with special properties.

Refinery Products

Components in a Barrel of Crude Oil Product gallons/barrel gallons/barrel Chemical feedstock 1.2 Refinery gas 1.9 Petrol19.5 Kerosene4.1 Diesel fuel 9.2 Lubricants0.5 Fuel oil 4.1 Asphalt (bitumen) 1.3

Ethylene and Derivatives

Propylene and Derivatives

Challenges to Replacing Petrochemicals Direct replacement Direct replacement –Competing with mature technology –High oxygen content in biorenewable feedstocks –Dilute process streams with biorenewables –Different trace impurities Functional replacement Functional replacement –Competing with entrenched chemicals (polymers) –Expense associated with introducing new large-scale polymers (estimated to be about $1 billion)

Why is Oxygen Content an Issue? Ethylene from glucose: fermentation to ethanol – theoretical yield 51.1% dehydration to ethylene – theoretical yield 60.9% best possible overall yield = 0.511(60.9) = 31.1% glucose at $0.15/kg  ethylene at $0.48/kg glucose at $0.15/kg  ethylene at $0.48/kg just for the raw material!!!! just for the raw material!!!!

Interpolymer Competition

Commercial Biorenewable Industrial Chemicals Glycerol Glycerol_________________________________________________ Lactic acid (polylactic acid) Lactic acid (polylactic acid) Alkyl esters Alkyl esters Surfactants (palm oil replacing petrochemical based) Surfactants (palm oil replacing petrochemical based) 1,3-propanediol 1,3-propanediol

Biorenewable Chemicals Top Value Added Chemicals from Biomass, U.S. DOE, 2004

Platform Chemical Concept Top Value Added Chemicals from Biomass, U.S. DOE, 2004