23b Development of an innovative algal-based approach for producing biopolyols from CO2 for polyurethane foam application

The Department of Energy is seeking to invest in research and development of technologies that can economically convert CO2 into plastic in the form of pellets, foams, or fibers. Polyurethane (PU) is one of the most common plastic precursors, which is widely used across various applications such as automotive, building and construction, furniture, packaging in the form of rigid and flexible foams, adhesives, coatings, sealants, elastomers, etc. The lack of new CO2 to plastic technologies and the higher cost of current CO2 conversion approaches significantly restrains their applications in many segments. Therefore, novel technologies need to transform carbon emissions into plastics with less complex industrial processes. In response to topic 23b, we proposed an innovative technology that converts industrial waste CO2 stream and algal biomass into high-value biopolyols targeting PU foam application via sustainable thermochemical pathways. The waste CO2 stream is from the anaerobic digestion process, while the digester effluent can be used for on-site algae cultivation. The achieved CO2-derived biopolyols endows controllable physicochemical properties, leading to a wide spectrum of PU foam products. In addition, the developed technologies will significantly advance the CO2 utilization technologies and unlock many industrial opportunities, particularly for polyurethane manufacturers. What will be accomplished in Phase I? The overall objective of this Phase I project is to develop a novel, cost-effective approach to successfully convert waste CO2 into high-value versatile biopolyols for PU foam application. Five specific objectives and relevant activities will be carried out in this project. 1) Extraction of lipids from algae and liquefaction of algal biomass residue to produce polyester biopolyols for rigid PU foam application. 2) Synthesis of bio-epoxy monomer from algae lipids. 3) Development of bio-based polycarbonate polyols via the of polymerization CO2 and epoxy monomers in the presence of a proprietary catalyst system for flexible PU foam application. 4) Characterization of the CO2-derived biopolyols and PU foams 5) Conducting TEA and LCA of the proposed system.