SBIR-STTR Award

Biobased BPA-Free Epoxy Coatings for Food and Beverage Applications
Award last edited on: 3/29/2021

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
USDA
Total Award Amount
$700,000
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
8.8
Principal Investigator
Sandip Agarwal

Company Information

Vuronyx Technologies LLC

5 Walnut Hill Park Unit 13
Woburn, MA 01801
   (781) 309-7448
   info@vuronyxtech.com
   www.vuronyxtech.com
Location: Single
Congr. District: 05
County: Essex

Phase I

Contract Number: 2017-33610-26662
Start Date: 7/1/2017    Completed: 2/28/2018
Phase I year
2017
Phase I Amount
$100,000
In this Phase 1 SBIR proposal, Vuronyx Technologies will develop biobased isosorbide epoxy precursors as replacement to Bisphenol-A epoxy precursors used currently in "can coatings" for food and beverages. Canning of foods and beverages in tin-plated steel or aluminum is extensively used for food preservation and storage because of low material and productions costs and durability of the containers. The metallic cans are typically coated with an epoxy resin as a protective layer that separates foods and drinks from the metal containers. The epoxy protective coating is required to prevent metal corrosion and/or penetration of bacteria into cans that could reduce their freshness, taste, odor, and nutritional properties. Epoxy precursors are typically based on Bisphenol-A (BPA), which is classified as an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) due to its ability to mimic estrogen binding. Health hazards of EDCs are well-established - including cancer, brain and behavioral changes in fetuses, and female reproductive issues. Food and beverage companies are not only being challenged by regulatory agencies to phase out their use of BPA, but are also being pressured by increasingly health conscious customers. Various bio-based precursors have been investigated to prepare BPA replacement, such as vegetable oil, rosin, lignin, and itaconic acid, but they do not possess the desirable properties of BPA based epoxies, namely high Tg, low water uptake, and desirable mechanical properties. Our approach is based on replacing Bisphenol bis(glycidyl ether) with isosorbide based epoxy. Isosorbideis a cheap biobased precursor material made by dehydrating sorbitol which is a polyhydric alcohol derived by reduction of glucose. Roquette, a French chemical company, recently launched world's largest isosorbide production facility of 20,000 tons/year, and have plans for further capacity expansion. The rigid structures and special molecular geometry make isosorbide a good candidate to replace BPA without the endocrine disrupting effect. Isosorbide can serve as renewable building blocks for many applications including thermoplastics, thermosets and specialty chemicals. Isosorbide and its isomers can be attached to glycidyl ether to make crosslinkable epoxy resin monomers with properties similar to BPA glycidyl ether.

Phase II

Contract Number: 2018-33610-28824
Start Date: 9/1/2018    Completed: 8/31/2020
Phase II year
2018
Phase II Amount
$600,000
In this Phase II SBIR project, Vuronyx Technologies will investigate high performance BPA free epoxy coatings for food and beverage cans. Canning of foods and beverages in metal containers is extensively used for food preservation and storage. The protective coating applied on the inside surface of the food/beverage container should be safe for food contact, have excellent adhesion to the substrate, and resist degradation over long periods of time. Currently used coatings for food and beverage cans are based on Bisphenol A (BPA). BPA present in epoxy coatings in cans have been found to leech into food products, and there is a positive correlation between consumption of canned foods and beverages and their presence in human urine and blood. The health hazards of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs), such as BPA, are well-established - including cancer, brain and behavioral changes in fetuses, and female reproductive issues. The BPA-free epoxy coating developed by Vuronyx Technologies is non-estrogenic but will still provide similar or improved barrier performance. The coatings are derived form isosorbide, an inexpensive biobased precursor material made by dehydration and reduction of glucose. Successful commercialization of these new coatings will encourage large-scale synthesis of the biobased epoxy precursors. In Phase II project, Vuronyx Technologies will formulate the coatings and test their barrier properties and mechanical performance in food and beverage cans. Further, the toxicological performance of these new coatings will be conducted both in-vitro and in-vivo, and compared to currently used BPA based epoxy coatings. Based on our Phase I results and published literature, we expect that the new biobased coatings will have non-estrogeic properties, and will have similar barrier and mechanical performance. Positive results from Phase II project will enable brand owners and can coaters to switch to the new biobased BPA-free coatings, and thus reduce the prevalence of BPA in environment and human bodies, especially kids, pregnant women, and low income communities.