Enabling Technologies for Corn-based Chemicals

Polyols are an important group of industrial compounds. Two examples of these chemicals are ethylene glycol, used as anti-freeze, and propylene glycol, used in plastics manufacturing. These compounds are produced from non-renewable petroleum. The fiber utilization project under development by the National Corn Growers Association and the polyols catalyst development project will allow these compounds to be made from corn.

Although the fiber conversion and catalyst processes produce polyols from a corn derived feed stream, they do not separate these compounds. To accomplish the economical separation of these chemicals, the NCGA is working with Michigan State University to develop a technology 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. Using this process in a corn-based feed stream will dramatically improve the economics of the process. In addition, reactive distillation is a less capital-intensive process than current separation technologies. This reduction in capital cost could overcome a major hurdle in the adoption of the polyols technology by industry.