Establishing New Market Opportunities

The use of inorganic catalysts is well described as a method to produce valuable chemicals in the petroleum industry; however, widespread adoption of these techniques for corn-based feed streams has not occurred. The reason for this lack of acceptance is due to the varied nature of a biobased feed stream. This feed stream produces a product that contains multiple compounds. This mixture of compounds in the product stream causes a separation challenge. The difficulty separating these chemicals is compounded by the fact that they have very similar properties. It is therefore cost prohibitive to use traditional techniques to purify these compounds. This hurdle has resulted in very little research being directed towards inorganic catalysis of corn-based feed streams. These concerns have led researchers at Michigan State University in conjunction with the National Corn Growers Association to investigate a separation process known as reactive distillation.

Reactive distillation is a technique in which a mixed chemical stream is treated with a reactive chemical in the presence of a catalyst. This results in a mixture of chemicals that can be easily separated, saving both energy and plant design costs. It is anticipated that this technology will allow the application of traditional catalysts to non-traditional corn-derived feed streams. Acid esters are compounds that could be produced via this method. The current market for these chemicals is around $3 billion a year. Development of this technology will build a large and valuable market for corn.