Manufacture of 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid from Furfural Produced from a Wet Waste Stream

The proposed program provides a new biomass conversion technology to produce FDCA, 2,5- furandicarboxylic acid, to replace hydrocarbon chemicals for production of plasticizers and polyester polymers. FDCA is currently produced from hexose carbohydrates, such as sucrose or high fructose corn syrup. Recent trends in global petroleum pricing have greatly reduced biomass raw material cost advantages for replacement of hydrocarbon chemicals by FDCA, a key driving force for sustainable FDCA commercialization. The proposed technology will provide an alternative pathway to FDCA using low cost biomass obtained from a wet waste pulp mill hydrolysate stream. The new technology will use a slip stream of hydrolysate from a hardwood pulp mill currently being disposed of as a wet organic waste through a waste heat boiler. The production of high value chemicals, such as FDCA, from waste pulp hydrolysate will provide new technologies and products from pulp and paper manufacture to enhance industry profitability, employment and competiveness. The overall goal of this SBIR project is to commercialize an innovative, highly intensified catalytic technology to convert biomass components in pulp mill hydrolysate to FDCA. The Phase I project will establish the technical and economic feasibility of a novel carbon dioxide carboxylation reaction to produce FDCA from furfural/furoic acid using reactive distillation of the pulp hydrolysate. The Phase I program includes: (1) the development of new catalytic compositions for the carboxylation of furoic acid with carbon dioxide to produce to FDCA, (2) demonstration of the catalytic activity and selectivity of the carboxylation reaction, and (3) demonstration of technical and economic feasibility of the overall process by process design and life cycle cost studies. The proposed technology will; (1) establish a new low cost raw material base for FDCA production, (2) provide utilization of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas in the production of high value chemicals, and (3) provide new technologies and products from pulp and paper manufacture to enhance industry profitability, employment and competiveness in world markets. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: FDCA produced by the new technology will find immediate application for production of non-phthalate bio-plasticizers, and large volume polyester polymers for fibers, beverage bottles, and other products. The proposed technology will provide a new low cost raw material base for FDCA production, as well as utilizing carbon dioxide greenhouse gas for commodity chemical manufacture. The new technology will benefit the U.S. pulp and paper industry by providing new products from pulp and paper manufacture, to enhance industry profitability, and employment.