Paints, glues, and other materials containing acrylic acid can be made in a green, eco-friendly way using a new approach that avoids the use of petroleum. Credit: iStock |
Scientists
are reporting discovery of an environmentally friendly way to make a
key industrial material — used in products ranging from paints to
diapers — from a renewable raw material without touching the traditional
pricey and increasingly scarce petroleum-based starting material. Their
report on a new catalyst for making acrylic acid appears in ACS
Catalysis, the newest in the American Chemical Society’s suite of 39
peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Weijie
Ji, Chak-Tong Au, and colleagues note that acrylic acid is essential
for making paints, adhesives, textiles, leather treatments, and hundreds
of other products. Global demand for the colorless liquid totals about 4
million tons annually. Acrylic acid is typically made from propylene
obtained from petroleum. With prices rising, manufacturers have been
seeking alternative ways of making acrylic acid without buying
propylene. One possibility involves making it from lactic acid. But
current processes for using lactic acid are inefficient, less selective,
and require higher temperatures and the accompanying high inputs of
energy.
The
scientists’ potential solution is a new catalyst that can convert
lactic acid into acrylic acid more efficiently. Lactic acid is a classic
renewable starting material, produced by bacteria growing in vats of
biomass such as glucose and starch from plants. In laboratory studies,
the scientists showed that the new catalyst can convert lactic acid to
acrylic acid more selectively at lower temperatures. This could mean
better use of lactic acid, lower fuel consumption, and less impact on
the environment, the scientists suggest.
