Development of algae-based non-isocyanate polyurethanes

A successful algal industry would be transformative in the US. The very high productivity of microalgae relative to land plants will drive massive job creation in rural areas, provide biofuel and bioproducts to reduce dependence on foreign sources of oil, reduce fertilizer run-off with its corresponding water quality impairment, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enable use of currently underutilized land and saline water resources for food and fuel production. To compete with the price of commodity products, algae biomass must be separated into multiple product streams such as protein concentrate and different oil blends for fuels and oleochemicals. One potential product from algae oil is non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU), which compared to isocyanate derived polyurethanes, is a less toxic and more sustainable alternative. Polyurethanes are one of the most used polymers globally and are found in various applications such as elastomers and foams. Algae oils, with a high level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are an attractive feedstock to produce NIPUs, but the lack of availability at commodity scale and price has led to a focus on terrestrial oils for commercialization. The combination of smaller carbon footprint and biodegradability for NIPUs along with algae’s high productivity which enables lower greenhouse gas emissions and lower water use makes for a very compelling commercial narrative. In order for algae oil to be used in NIPUs, the drying, extraction, and oil fractionation processes must be streamlined and optimized to create a consistent and quality product stream. In this project, produce algae biomass will be produced at state-of-the-art cultivation facilities in Kauai and California and using novel drying and extraction processes to obtain algae oil that will be further fractionated into an ideal product for non-isocyanate polyurethanes. The primary technical objectives in Phase 1 are provide a proof-of-concept of algae-based non-isocyanate polyurethane products, including: A. develop a baseline, lab-scale enrichment process for algae oil to achieve an oil fraction that has 50% enrichment of poly unsaturated fatty acids; B. establish specifications for enriched algal oil by characterizing non-isocyanate polyurethanes from oils with different levels of double bonds per triglyceride molecule; and C. polymerize enriched algae oil into non-isocyanate polyurethanes with at least 50% algal oil content and determine the polymer characteristics; D. prepare a technoeconomic and life-cycle analysis that quantifies the economic and environmental benefit of algal oil based non-isocyanate polyurethanesPhase II will further refine the process to improve product quality, extraction and separation efficiency, test the use of oil stabilizers, and move to an engineering scale for algae oil and non-isocyanate polyurethanes production which will allow for further product acceptance testing and larger scale operations testing. Results will be vetted against an in-house technoeconomic model to ensure the cost is suitable for commercial scale up. Product quality as well as life cycle analysis of algae-based non-isocyanate polyurethanes will be compared to both biobased isocyanate polyurethanes and conventional petrochemical polyurethane production. Overall, this project will develop sustainable product stream of these biopolymers from algae helping to drive both the large scale production of algal biomass and sustainable and safe polyurethane commercialization.