Identifying non-petrochemical routes to products
CASE STUDY
Background
As oil prices rise and industry has to reduce its carbon
emissions, chemical companies are increasingly looking
at greener manufacturing methods and renewable
alternatives to petroleum-based feedstocks. However,
before introducing these alternatives and investing in
new processes and equipment, chemical companies
need to be sure about the commercial feasibility of
sustainable feedstocks.
The project
A consortium project has been established to develop
the application of green chemistry to formulated
products. The collaborative research and development
work aims to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of
sustainable feedstocks as an alternative to petroleum-
based feedstocks across multiple sectors and
applications. Such renewable sources should also
add value to formulated commodities.
Two Chemspeed Automated formulation platforms –
the FORMAX and Swing – are available at the Centre
for Materials Discovery (CMD); these were employed
to explore a wide range of formulation conditions
incorporating oxidised cellulose as a sustainable
thickening agent. Consortium partners Unilever,
Croda, Rockwood Additives, University of Bath and
the UK National Non-food Crop Centre have worked
alongside CMD researchers and contributed expertise
in formulation components that inform the best use of
our automated facilities.
A design of experiments (DoE) approach has been
applied to the discovery process, encompassing both
high-throughput screening of component interactions
on a 15ml scale and larger-scale 70ml formulation
reactors individually adjusted for shear and
dispensing conditions.
Outcomes
•
The use of automated formulation methods allows
greater numbers of samples to be managed than
under normal laboratory benchtop conditions
•
High-throughput screening experiments have
yielded over 300 model formulations,
encompassing a wide array of different
compositions
•
Alongside the scaled-up formulation samples,
the screening has identified a number of lead
compositions for ongoing research.
Partner
Unilever, Croda, Rockwood Additives, University of Bath, UK National Non-Food Crop
Centre (NNFCC)
Activity type
Collaborative research
Academic lead(s)
Professor Andy Cooper, Faculty of Science and Engineering, School of Physical Sciences,
Chemistry
Funded by
Technology Strategy Board
Materials, Advanced Design
&
Manufacturing
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