1. www.icis.com36 | ICIS Chemical Business | 22-28 October 2012
since the 1980s but, to date, no one has been
able to develop an economically feasible proc-
ess. The thermoplastic has similar properties
to polyethylene terephthalate (PET), but with
significantly higher barrier properties.
Novomer’sproprietarysystemisbasedonho-
mogeneous catalyst technology that was origi-
nally discovered at New York-based
Cornell University by Geoffrey Coates,
Novomer’s co-founder and chairman of its
scientificadvisoryboard.Thesignificanceofthe
process is that it enables the use of a low-cost
monomer, in this case carbon monoxide (CO),
whichiscombinedwithethyleneoxide(EO)to
makepropriolactone.
Novomer says that the
use of inexpensive raw
materials, such as CO
and ethane-derived EO,
and the catalyst’s selec-
tivity, which is in excess
of 99%, means that the
cost of the process is potentially 40% lower
than current available technologies.
In addition, the process is expected to have
a lower carbon and energy footprint because it
operates at moderate temperatures, notably
between 30-50o
C. This compares with an
operating temperature of over 250o
C in the
existing AA production process.
Novomer has raised about $30m so far in
venture capital funding which it is using to
part-finance construction of a continuous pi-
lot-scale process plant. The company has also
applied for a US Department of Energy grant
to boost its finances.
The development facility is being built in
Rochester, New York, near the company’s
research and development laboratory in
Ithaca, and completion is expected in the next
12-18 months. Construction of a commercial-
scale plant, which will produce AA via PPL,
is expected to begin in 2015. Capacity will
depend on the outcome of the pilot trials.
Novomer is currently looking for a com-
mercial partner to help co-develop the tech-
nology. Slowik says he has received a lot of
interest worldwide and expects Novomer to
make a selection at the end of 2012 or in
early 2013.
ELAINE BURRIDGE LONDON
Novomer, winner of the Best Innovation by an SME
category, has widened its vision for the proprietary
technology, which won last year’s Innovation with Best
Environmental Benefit category
CO route
cuts acrylic
acid costs
Novomer
Superabsorbent polymer (SAP) made with Novomer’s catalyst has the same
performance as SAP made using the traditional propylene-based route
“Our ultimate vision... is that
low molecular weight PPL
could be shipped globally and
converted to AA or acrylate
esters upon demand”
MIKE SLOWIK
Director of chemicals, Novomer
BEST INNOVATION BY AN SME
For more information on Novomer’s proprietary
technology and the company itself, go to
www.novomer.com/
A
new proprietary catalyst system
capable of producing a wide range of
intermediates from carbon monox-
ide and ethylene oxide has the
potential to transform the chemical industry,
claims Novomer, which describes itself as an
“emerging sustainable chemistry company”.
These chemicals, namely acrylic acid (AA),
acrylate esters, butanediol (BDO), tetrahydro-
furan (THF), polypropiolactone (PPL) and
succinic acid, have a global market value in
excess of $20bn (€15bn), according to the
Ithaca, New York-based company and can be
produced at a disruptively lower cost and
with a reduced environmental footprint.
PPL is a new polymer with good material
properties and biodegradability that also
offers a means of shipping AA. PPL, although
stable across a wide range of temperatures,
degrades quickly to glacial AA above 200o
C.
Mike Slowik, director of chemicals at
Novomer, comments: “Our ultimate vision for
this technology is that low molecular weight
PPL could be shipped globally and converted
to AA or acrylate esters upon demand.”
The ability to ship PPL and convert it to
glacial AA offers a much better economical
and sustainable method of sourcing AA where
it is needed, Slowik says. AA’s primary
demand is in superabsorbent polymers (SAP)
which goes into diapers and growth is being
driven by markets in India and China where
demand is rising at 6-7%/year.
Slowik says that PPL has been studied