{"id":18904,"date":"2014-01-20T03:15:49","date_gmt":"2014-01-20T01:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.biofuelsdigest.com\/bdigest\/2014\/01\/16\/a-direct-replacement-for-man\/"},"modified":"2014-01-17T14:16:55","modified_gmt":"2014-01-17T12:16:55","slug":"replacement-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/replacement-man\/","title":{"rendered":"A Replacement for Man"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Alexander Pope opined in \u201cEssay on Man\u201d<\/em> 1734 that the \u201cproper study of Mankind is MAN,\u201d he is likely not to have known very much about the production and distribution of Maleic Anhydride.<\/p>\n

\n

But he would have seen in the evolution from crude oil to biobased sources the principle of optimization at work, and he would have found much to approve of in the progress towards new sources and strategies. It is to a great extent a practical variation on \u201cwhat will be, is better\u201d \u2014 and in keeping with his philosophy.<\/p>\n

If you too find yourself less than familiar with Maleic Anhydride, Myriant offers this helpful explanation:<\/p>\n

\u201cMaleic Anhydride (MAN) is an organic chemical intermediate that is used in the production of butanediol, or BDO, another chemical intermediate used to make food packaging, specialty fibers such as Spandex and Lycra, as well as popular adhesive tapes and polyurethane foams. Petroleum-derived MAN is often made from benzene, a known carcinogen.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMyriant has partnered with Johnson Matthey \u2013 Davy Technologies (JM Davy), one of the world leaders in the production of MAN-derived BDO, to demonstrate that our bio-succinic acid can be utilized in JM Davy\u2019s process as a direct replacement for MAN.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cCombining the efficiencies of Myriant\u2019s bio-succinic acid process and the JM Davy BDO\/THF process, the bio-butanediol and bio-tetrahydrofuran has an overall carbon efficiency of 87%, believed to be substantially better than the carbon efficiency achieved in the direct fermentation route to bio-butanediol. JM Davy will also provide process and performance guarantees for commercial grade bio-butanediol, bio-tetrahydrofuran and bio-gamma-butyrolactone made from Myriant\u2019s bio-succinic acid.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, there are a range of claims in there \u2014 but one of them is well understood by a number of companies. That is, that the cost structures for biosuccinic acid make it possible to use it to lower the cost and reduce the hassle of making BDO. Which is to say, a better way to make Spandex, Lycra, popular adhesive tapes and polyurethane foams among other products.<\/p>\n

Now \u2013 generally the biobased narrative is structured by critics around a series of mandates, backed by subsidies, forcing companies to bend or replace current infrastructure in order to use novel molecules that cost more, spread poverty, wreck the environment, and ruin just about any machine they are introduced into. In order to hand millions to some corn farmers.<\/p>\n

So, the problem of MAN is a vexing one.<\/p>\n

It replaces a process that costs more, and uses a known carcinogen. The new process is surrounded by no mandates or subsidies, uses existing infrastructure, costs less, reduces poverty, helps the environment, and works just fine in any machine or with any person.<\/p>\n

In a related development \u2014 in this case, biobased rubbers used in wetsuits \u2014 Jason McCaffrey, business director of Patagonia surf wear, told KJZZ radio that surfers trying biobased wetsuits made from 60 percent guayule resin content \u201cwould put it on and use it for surfing and they would have no idea that there was a difference performance wise. It\u2019s almost impossible to tell with the exception of Guayule suits smell way better than the traditional neoprene suits.\u201d<\/p>\n

What makes the difference?<\/h3>\n

Why \u2014 when the challenges of making competitive drop-in fuels from biobased sources are so well known, and dependent on feedstock costs, is biosuccinc acid competitive in today\u2019s market, even at small production volumes.<\/p>\n

In a word, oxygen.<\/p>\n

Which is to say, succinic acid has a bunch of it. So does biomass. But hydrocarbons coming out of a barrel of crude have none. To make succinic acid \u2014 or, any of the organic acids \u2014 from hydrocarbons you need to add oxygen. So, it adds a process step \u2014 and if you need pure oxygen instead of ambient air (which is 80 percent nitrogen), then you have some cost challenges.<\/p>\n

By contrast, making organic acids from biomass \u2014 there\u2019s no need to blow off the oxygen.<\/p>\n

The production of biobased succinic acid<\/h3>\n

\"succinic-1\"<\/p>\n

Last year, our friends at WEASTRA in their report on succinic acid for the \u201c7th Framework Programme of the European Union, FP7 \u2013 Knowledge based Bio-Economy\u00a0Collaborative Project,\u201d noted that the market for succinic acid was roughly 40 kT (kilo tonnes) per year of which just 1.15 kT of production capacity was biobased.<\/p>\n

The players in the market? So far, Myriant, the BASF-PURAC joint venture, and Reverdia (a JV of DSM and Roquette).<\/p>\n

But capacity is on the way. In fact, WEASTRA projected 225.87 kT by 2014, with Myriant, BioAmber, BASF and Reverdia all in the mix.<\/p>\n

The prices?<\/h3>\n

The prices are pretty good, especially when you consider prices in the fuel sphere (where gasoline fuels cost roughly $900-$1100 per tonne). Petroleum based succinic in 2011 was valued at $2400-$2600\/T with biobased getting a 10-15% price premium at demo-scale volume.<\/p>\n

What can you make with low-cost succinic?<\/h3>\n

Now, there isn\u2019t going to be a huge market for $2600 per tonne biobased succinic as a base chemical for making other chemicals with big markets. If that were the case, the petroleum guys would be doing it right now.<\/p>\n

\"succinic-2\"<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the potential. By reducing the costs, new markets opens up when succinic can act as a route to other chemicals that have more established applications.<\/p>\n

What are those?<\/h3>\n

Well, there is the aforementioned market in BDO. And four other markets: PBS and PBST; polyurethane as a replacement for adipic acid; alkyd resins; and plasticisers as a replacement for phthalic anhydride; and solvents.<\/p>\n

The real markets of interest?<\/h3>\n

According to WEASTRA, 97% of \u201caddressable\u201d market volume potential will be concentrated in four markets: Plasticizers, BDO, polyester polyols and alkyd resins \u2014 and they predict that biobased producers will capture 10% of that market, or 599 kT per year. That is to say, these are the markets where succinic might play a role in the future, if the new technologies prove to be the winners.<\/p>\n

How much will succinic capture by 2020. WEASTRA expects 10% of that addressable market (599 kT), most of that in BDO (316 kT). The big market in plasticizers, replacing PA (pthalic anhydride) will come along later.<\/p>\n

One problem area?<\/h3>\n

Adipic acid \u2014 foreseen as a big market for biobased just a few years ago, and in WEASTRA\u2019s analysis \u2014 but the shale gas and tight oil boom is likely to curtail the opportunity substantially, and companies like Verdezyne have downshifted on efforts on that front.<\/p>\n

That, er, other route<\/h3>\n

When we think BDO, we also think \u201cGenomatica\u201d, which has been licensing its BDO process like crazy, with the likes of BASF getting underway at commercial scale, and companies like Toray and Lanxess bringing along their efforts quickly.<\/p>\n

Bottom line? We expect that a number of players will opt for the Genomatica direct route to BDO, but the market is growing so fast that it is likely that all players will have a role, especially if oil prices remain high and bio-feedstock prices keep steady, and the incumbent becomes easier to beat.<\/p>\n

The players<\/h3>\n

\"succinic-4\"<\/p>\n

BioAmber<\/h3>\n

BioAmber is expected to complete commissioning in 2014 of a new biosuccinic acid plant, now under development in Sarnia, Ontario.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have begun early works on the site in Sarnia including hooking up to the water and sewer system under Vidal Street,\u201d the company\u2019s Executive Vice-President Mike Hartmann told the Digest in late 2012. \u201cThe $80 million project is being constructed at the LANXESS Bio-Industrial Park in Sarnia. The site is\u00a0located in a large petrochemical hub with existing infrastructure that facilitates access to utilities and certain raw materials and finished product shipment, including steam, electricity, hydrogen, water treatment and carbon dioxide,\u201d the Sustainable Chemistry Alliance newsletter reported.<\/p>\n

BioAmber has been producing bio-based succinic acid in a large-scale facility in France since January 2010. The facility is one of the largest bio-based manufacturing fermenters in the world thanks to its 350,000 liter commercial-scale fermenter.<\/p>\n

BASF-PURAC (Succinity)<\/h3>\n

BASF and Purac, a subsidiary of CSM, are establishing a joint venture for the production and sale of biobased succinic acid. The company will be named Succinity GmbH and will be operational in 2013, with an annual capacity of 10,000 metric tons.<\/p>\n

The two companies are currently modifying an existing fermentation facility at Purac\u2019s Montm\u00e9lo site near Barcelona, Spain.\u00a0 This is complemented by plans for a second large-scale facility with an annual capacity of 50,000 metric tons of succinic acid.<\/p>\n

Reverdia<\/h3>\n

Early in 2010 DSM and Roquette opened a demonstration plant in Lestrem (France), which has been running at full capacity. In 2010 DSM and Roquette also announced their intention to establish a joint venture (which will be carrying out business under the name Reverdia) for their cooperation, subject to regulatory approval. In 2011, DSM and Roquette Fr\u00e8res announced a commercial scale plant for the production of bio-based succinic acid.<\/p>\n

In December 2012 the plant commenced\u00a0operations in Cassano Spinola, Italy, at a commercial-scale plant producing Biosuccinium sustainable succinic acid. The plant has a capacity of 10,000 tonnes\/yr.\u00a0Key applications for Biosuccinium include polybutylene succinate (PBS), polyester polyols for polyurethanes, coating and composite resins, phthalate-free plasticizers, and 1,4 butanediol. End products include footwear, packaging and paints.<\/p>\n

Myriant<\/h3>\n

Last June, Myriant announced the successful start-up at its flagship bio-succinic acid plant located in Lake Providence, Louisiana. Myriant has produced on-spec commercial product at the plant and the Company anticipates that customer shipments will commence soon. Myriant\u2019s bio-succinic acid plant is the first of its kind and scale in North America and has an annual nameplate production capacity of 30 million pounds of bio-succinic acid.<\/p>\n

Myriant\u2019s Lake Providence Commercial Facility is partially funded through a $50 million cost sharing cooperative agreement received from the United States Department of Energy (DOE), $25 million from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) B&I Loan Guarantee Program and a $10 million grant from the Lake Providence Port Commission and the Louisiana Department of Transportation.<\/p>\n

The bottom line<\/h3>\n

We think of it in terms of the 1968 Zager & Evans song \u201cIn the Year 2525\u2033:<\/p>\n

In the range of $2525, if MAN is still alive<\/em>
\n\u2028If the magic bug survives, biobased will thrive\u2028<\/em><\/p>\n

In the range of $3535<\/em>
\n ain\u2019t gonna use succinic made from oil<\/em>
\n and the isoprene you need<\/em>
\n will come from hybrid guayule seed<\/em>
\n whoa-oh<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is succinic acid’s path to success right through Maleic Anhydride (MAN)? 
\nAnd can it change th…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","nova_meta_subtitle":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[],"supplier":[2908,1180,2249,622,3364],"class_list":["post-18904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bio-based","supplier-basf-corporation-us","supplier-bioamber-inc","supplier-myriant-technologies-llc","supplier-purac-sa","supplier-reverdia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18904"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18904\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18904"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=18904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}