SBIR-STTR Award

Many chemical anions and neutral compounds are generated as aqueous waste in hundreds of large volume, commercial industrial processes. When these anions and compounds are organic (e.g. phenol derivatives), then significant quantities of organic waste pollute the environment and eventually are converted into the greenhouse gas, CO2, through incineration or biological treatment. In addition, this waste represents both significant cost (due to treatment) and lost opportunity (because it is an inefficient use of raw materials) for the companies that generate it. This project will use Phase-Transfer Catalysis (PTC) technology to produce a useful and saleable product from waste anions. PTC has already been shown to accomplish this in a cost efficient manner, with purchased anions in hundreds of current commercial processes. If the appropriate phase transfer catalyst is present, the targeted species in the aqueous waste stream will react with a complementary organic substrate, to make a desirable and saleable product. In Phase I, three different model systems will be examined to test the applicability of PTC technology using waste anions. The phase-transfer catalysis technology will be demonstrated, and a pilot plant using actual industrial waste streams will be built. Technical and economic information will be obtained on a small but significant portion of waste chemical products: bis-phenol A dianion, acetate, and iodide.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
This technology should generate large savings by recycling previously wasted chemical species that otherwise would have simply generated pollution. This should also reduce the production of greenhouse gases and the energy load by lessening consumption of natural resources.

Many chemical byproducts, which could be converted into useful commercial products, are generated as waste in hundreds of large volume commercial industrial processes. When these byproducts are organic (e.g. phenol derivatives), significant quantities of waste, oftentimes hazardous, pollute the environment and eventually are converted into greenhouse gas (CO2) by incineration or biological treatment. In addition, this waste represents significant cost and lost opportunity because it represents inefficient use of raw materials. This project will use Phase-Transfer Catalysis (PTC) technology to produce useful and saleable products from wasted byproducts -- just as it does from hundreds of purchased chemicals in hundreds of commercial processes in a cost efficient manner. In the presence of an appropriate phase transfer catalyst and appropriate conditions, the targeted byproduct species in an aqueous or organic stream will be reacted with a complementary substrate (either nucleophilic or electrophilic, depending on the nature of the byproduct) to make a desirable and saleable product. The Phase I project provided the proof-of-concept for recovering and reacting the commercially important family of high volume hazardous waste and byproduct streams which contain phenol and phenol derivatives. The phenol and phenol derivatives were extracted from low concentration (~1wt%,) aqueous streams and successfully reached with a variety of useful electrophiles to produce useful products. Phase II will explore many more major applications that should realize the benefits of PTC in order to advance the technology into more diverse chemistries and industries. In addition, the reaction engineering of these systems will be fully developed and a pilot plant demonstration will be achieved.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
This technology should convert large volumes of phenolic waste and byproducts into useful products such as monomers, and will convert other large volume nucleophilic and electrophilic byproducts into saleable products. The technology should also reduce the production of greenhouse gases and reduce the energy load by reducing consumption of natural resources.