CO2 Utilization and Reduction





Glycerol carbonate, CO2 based Biopolymer




Glycerol carbonate High Value Renewable Chemical Production from CO2 and Biodiesel Plant Byproduct

The product developed through this KEW technology is bio-based high value renewable industrial product – glycerol carbonate – from carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, and crude glycerol, a biodiesel plant waste. In the presence of catalyst and co-catalyst, glycerol carbonate is produced by reacting CO2 with crude glycerol under mild reaction conditions. This one-step glycerol carbonate production process is environmentally friendly, cost-effective, energy-efficient, and easy to operate.

Glycerol carbonate is one of the most important precursors with numerous applications in polymer materials as well as in synthetic organic chemistry as a solvent, additive, monomer, and chemical intermediate. It is a green substitute for important petro-derivative compounds such as ethylene carbonate or propylene carbonate. An efficient transformation of CO2 and crude glycerol into a high value chemical is of significant importance for resource utilization and pollution prevention. It will offset the biodiesel production cost and CO2 capture cost and play an important role in renewable chemical production concurrent with CO2 emissions reduction, leading to substantial cost savings and environmental benefits.

The features of the KEW technology include: 1) Direct conversion of biodiesel plant crude glycerol to glycerol carbonate 2) Beneficial use of CO2 3) Reduction of biodiesel plant waste glycerol 4) A renewable and sustainable green product to replace petroleum based compounds 5) Low production costs and large market.

CO2 Based Polymeric Material

This KEW technology concerns the development of a highly technical and high volume CO2 utilization technology. The product is a high performance, low cost, and high value polymer for roofing and other infrastructure construction applications. The polymer replaces or serves as additives for asphalt, sealant, and petroleum based polymers such as styrene-butadiene-styrene and atactic polypropylene in the manufacture of building or paving materials. The polymer production process has no water requirement and does not produce any waste streams. The commercialization of this high performance, environmentally friendly, and economically sound polymer technology will bring significant cost savings to the end-users, reduce CO2 emissions, and reduce the use of petroleum based fuel.