Much of what's in your medicine cabinet is made from fuel sources like petroleum that are warming the planet. According to MIT Technology Review, Solugen, a Houston-based chemical company, wants to change that.
The company has developed a process that uses the natural sugars in corn to produce certain chemicals instead of ingredients like oil. The method involves extracting an enzyme from this sugar and then using a metal-based catalyst to convert it into chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide, gluconic acid and glucaric acid. Applications of these products include treating wastewater, improving plant fertilizers and curing cement, MIT Technology Review reported.
The best part is that this new way of producing chemicals uses and wastes less energy overall than the standard method. This could mean that the resulting products are cheaper for people to purchase in the long run. The main reason is that the corn can be processed at much lower temperatures. The company also points out that its reactors are more efficient, the outlet reported.
Removing these pollutants from everyday products such as shampoos, plastic bottles, as well as first aid and industrial materials such as concrete is a huge benefit. Globally, about 5% of the gases warming the planet come from the trillion-dollar chemical industry.
Corn, on the other hand, actually sucks these harmful gases out of the air, the outlet explained.
Currently, Solugen is limited to select chemicals. The company can't currently do anything with the big dogs of the industry – methanol, ethylene and hydrogen – but in the future the company wants to develop other feedstocks that open doors to other chemicals and their markets.
The Houston facility can currently ship 10,000 tons of material per year. The company plans to double that capacity early this year and build a second factory in Minnesota with financial support from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Once operational, this facility is estimated to be able to process 75,000 tons of chemicals per year, according to MIT Technology Review.
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