Three-Way Catalytic Distillation to Renewable Surfactants via Triglycerides
Executive Summary
Technical Challenge
- Matching of catalytic kinetics in staged catalytic beds
- Control of water released and absorbed through a multistep column
- Flow of material for controlled internal composition gradients
Potential Impact
Intensification of three process steps into a single device condenses three reactors and separation systems and has the potential to achieve single-step processing of natural oils to surfactant precursors, thereby eliminating as much as two-thirds of the processing costs. This approach also further enhances the capability for rapid design and deployment by advancing design techniques of process intensified catalytic systems.
Resources
The University of Minnesota has expertise in catalyst testing, reaction kinetics, and reactor design and evaluation. The team’s work on furan acylation chemistry has pioneered the invention of the new oleo-furan sulfonate (OFS) surfactants. The team has also developed a laboratory with capability for modeling complex reacting systems with heat and mass transfer in parallel with construction and evaluation of complex process technology. Sironix Renewables has expertise in reactor construction and process synthesis with substantial experience in working with high temperature catalytic reaction systems. Expertise in complex kinetics integrated within the evaluation of process economics provides unique capability for implementing and evaluating intensified process technology as it pertains to emerging applications in the bioproducts industry.