Waltham, Massachusetts - Novomer has completed what it says is the world's first large-scale manufacturing run of polypropylene carbonate (PPC) polyol, producing over seven tonnes of finished product.
The material, a 1000 molecular weight PPC diol, will be used in polyurethane applications, including flexible and rigid foams, adhesives and sealants, coatings and elastomers, the sustainable materials company said in a 19 Feb news release.
The Novomer polyols are designed to replace conventional petroleum-based polyether, polyester, and polycarbonate polyols. Based on the copolymerisation of carbon dioxide and epoxide, the resulting products contain more than 40 percent CO2 by weight, Novomer said.
"This campaign clearly demonstrates the robustness of our catalyst and manufacturing process and we are confident in the ability to move to a larger scale as demand warrants," commented Dr Ron Valente, Novomer's vice president of research.
The PPC polyol was scaled up and produced with Albemarle Corp. at its Orangeburg, South Carolina, manufacturing facility using existing Albemarle equipment which was modified for PPC polyol production. This work was completed in conjunction with Novomer's three-year, $25 million US Department of Energy award.
LMH
