SBIR-STTR Award

L¥kril Technologies is developing new processes for manufacture of bio-based industrial chemicals. Our lactic-to-acrylic technology provides corn-derived drop-in bio-based acrylic acid and acrylates at cost parity to today's petrochemical acrylics while providing at least 35%reduction in CO2 emissions. Once commercialized our process technology will be constructed and provide high-quality well-paying STEM jobs in rural locations near corn fields similar to ethanol plants. Producing sustainable acrylic acid and acrylates brings significant health and welfare benefits through increased sustainability to the $10 billion 6.5 million metric ton per annum acrylics value chain used throughout the superabsorbent polymer paints coatings and adhesives markets while increasing economic competitiveness in global markets through new industrial uses for the US' largest crop. The L¥kril catalyst is FAU zeolite based modified by engineered amines. The work proposed here during the SBIR with 5-50wt% aqueous solutions of Na+ K+ Ca2+ and NH4+ lactate solutions will allow the determination of the interplay between caution engineered amine and lactic-to-acrylic yield of the catalyst. This SBIR proposal leverages the dilute aqueous Ca2+ or NH4+ lactate streams available at low cost in lactic acid bio-refineries due to the at least partial titration of lactic acid necessary to keep sugar fermentation progressing and provides the foundation for scaling and further testing the effect of impurities in the identified feed stream on our overall process to produce acrylic acid and/or acrylates in a potential follow-on Phase II effort.