Chemical Engineering July 2010 - 18

ZeaChem
Cover Story
price, " says Imbler. For its process,
ZeaChem has consciously chosen previously
known microbes and fermentation
equipment to reduce risk, and started
out with an economics model to ensure
that its operation would be cost-competitive.
" We started out thinking business
first, " Imbler says, adding that to
maximize the changes of commercial
success, " economics should drive the
science, not the other way around. "
Meanwhile, the firm LS9 Inc. has
developed a one-step fermentation
process that depends on genetically
engineered bacteria to generate biodiesel
and other transport fuels, as well
as chemicals from five- and six-carbon
sugars in sugarcane syrup. Since 2009,
the company has generated biodiesel
fuel at a 1,000-L/batch pilot facility at
its headquarters. LS9 spokesperson Jon
Ballesteros points out that the product
meets fuel standards set by ASTM International
and is registered with the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The company recently acquired a former
bioprocessing facility at a bargain
price in Florida, where they are assembling
a demonstration-scale plant
that will produce 50,000 - 100,000 gal/
yr of biodiesel starting at the end of
2010. The process reduces greenhouse
gas emissions by 85% compared to petroleum-based
diesel, Ballesteros says.
While biodiesel is the initial focus, LS9
is adopting a biorefinery model, and
producing chemicals, such as surfactants
and transportation fuel replacements
beyond biodiesel as well.
In contrast to LS9, Elevance's focus
is squarely on specialty chemicals from
renewable sources, although it can
make biofuels as well. Its biorefinery
process depends on olefin metathesis
catalysts exclusively licensed from Materia
Inc., a company set up to commercialize
the catalysts, which were
developed by Nobel Prize-winning California
Institute of Technology (Pasadena,
Calif.; www.caltech.com) chemist
Robert Grubbs. The powerful synthetic
technique redistributes olefin substrates,
yielding a net exchange of the
substituents on two double bonds. Elevance
uses the catalysts to synthesize
performance chemicals, such as waxes,
antimicrobial compounds, lubricants
and fuel additives from plant oils such
as palm or soybean oil. Elevance shares
the ideals of Zeachem
in that it is focused on
reducing technical risk
by employing well-understood
equipment and
technology, only coupled
in a unique manner. The
process is feedstock-agnostic
and designed for
lower pressures and temperatures.
Currently, Elevance is looking to
work with partners to install its technology
for contract manufacturing at
existing sites. Also, Elevance's Shafer
says the company is in advanced talks
with a partner to form a joint venture
for constructing a biorefinery that
uses metathesis chemistry to produce
specialty chemicals from bio-oils.
Gevo Development LLC (Englewood,
Colo.; www.gevo.com) is another
company with a variation on the biorefinery
model. Gevo has developed a
fermentation-based route to non-petroleum
isobutene, a key raw material for
synthetic butyl rubber. Gevo will use
a range of sugars and starches and,
later, cellulose, as feedstock. It will
produce a range of products, including
isobutanol, propene and distillers'
dried grains with solubles (DDGS)
for animal feeds, in addition to the
isobutene. The world's largest rubber
producer, Lanxess AG (Leverkusen,
Germany; www.lanxess.com) invested
$10 million in Gevo in May 2010.
Elsewhere, Chempolis Oy (Oulu,
Finland; www.chempolis.com) began
operating a biorefinery in May based
on non-food, cellulosic feedstocks from
agricultural waste. The initial product
will be bioethanol, but the company
says its conversion platform will enable
production of multiple chemicals.
Bio-based succinic acid
Developing a biological route to the 1,4
diacid compound succinic acid has received
much attention in recent years.
A number of studies, including an influential
2004 report from the U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE; Washington,
D.C.; www.energy.gov) have identified
succinic acid as among the top building
block chemicals - in terms of technical
feasibility, size of market and interest
to the chemical industry - that could
be derived from biomass. Succinic acid
is used in a wide variety of applications
18 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2010
FIGURE 2.
Many bio-chemicals
are produced
in fermenters,
like this one at
ZeaChem, but
some companies
are pursuing catalytic
methods
including plastics, fibers, polyesters
and pigments. Industrially, succinic
acid has been made through the catalytic
hydrogenation of maleic acid or its
anhydride. Since both are derived from
benzene or butane, succinic acid costs
have been relatively high and linked to
fossil fuel feedstocks.
Myriant Technologies' bio-based
succinic-acid project is among the
leaders in the area. The company intends
to operate as a nascent biorefinery,
producing a single product from
one feedstock initially, but eventually
expanding to produce other chemical
building blocks in the future.
Myriant piloted its fermentation
process last year, using a genetically
engineered E. coli strain, and recently
was selected to receive up to $50 million
from the DOE to help construct a
manufacturing facility for bio-based
succinic acid in Louisiana. Currently,
the 30-million-lb/yr facility is in the
final design stage, and full-scale construction
is set to begin in September
2010. " We already have contracts or
commitments for the initial 30 million
pounds, " says Myriant's McConnell.
Following the start of commercial production
in the second half of 2011, the
company expects to expand the facility
to produce 150 million lb/yr.
Myriant's bio-based succinic acid will
utilize both local sorghum and carbon
dioxide as feedstocks, but McConnell
says the company expects to utilize cellulosic
biomass in the future, and to
produce additional products, including
fumaric acid.
A commercial biosuccinic acid plant
has actually been operating since December
2009. The 2,000-metric-ton/yr
facility is operated by Bioamber (www.
bio-amber.com), a joint venture (JV)
between DNP Green Technology (Montreal,
Quebec; www.dnpgreen.com) and
the French firm ARD (Pomacle, France;
www.a-r-d.fr). Bioamber has developed
a proprietary fermentation process to
http://www.gevo.com http://www.lanxess.com http://www.chempolis.com http://www.caltech.com http://www.energy.gov http://www.bio-amber.com http://www.dnpgreen.com http://www.a-r-d.fr http://WWW.CHE.COM
Chemical Engineering July 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering July 2010
