Flexible polyurethanes, renewable fuels, and flavorings from a microalgae oil waste stream

Phung Hai, Thien An; Neelakantan, Nitin; Tessman, Marissa; Sherman, Suryendra D.; Griffin, Graham; Pomeroy, Robert; Mayfield, Stephen P.; Burkart, Michael D.

doi:10.1039/d0gc00852d

Title: Flexible polyurethanes, renewable fuels, and flavorings from a microalgae oil waste stream

Journal Article · Fri May 08 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · Green Chemistry

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/d0gc00852d· OSTI ID:1799474

Phung Hai, Thien An ^[1]; Neelakantan, Nitin ^[2]; Tessman, Marissa ^[2]; Sherman, Suryendra D. ^[2]; Griffin, Graham ^[1]; Pomeroy, Robert ^[3]; Mayfield, Stephen P. ^[4];

^[3]

Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Algenesis Materials, Cardiff, CA (United States)
Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The California Center for Algae Biotechnology
Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States). The California Center for Algae Biotechnology. Division of Biological Sciences

Renewable polymers have become an important focus in next-generation materials, and algae biomass offers an environmentally low-impact feedstock that can serve multiple uses. This study aims to develop a scalable methodology for production of microalgae-based polyols for polyurethane synthesis from waste oils derived from algae biomass. Following separation of omega-3 fatty acids from algae oil, residual oils can offer valuable building blocks for petrochemical replacements. However, unlike vegetable oils, algae oils contain organic contaminants, including photosynthetic pigments and hydrophobic cofactors that can complicate preparative methodologies. Here we convert and purify waste streams from omega-3 depleted Nannochloropsis salina algae oil, with major components consisting of palmitic and palmitoleic acid, into azelaic acid (AA) as a building block for flexible polyurethanes, with a simultaneous production of heptanoic acid (HA) as a flavor and fragrance precursor. Conversion of free fatty acid mixtures into a soft soap allows extraction of organic contaminants, and urea complexation provides isolated palmitoleic acid, which is subsequently ozonolyzed to produce AA and HA. Bio-based polyester diols are prepared from AA via esterification to provide a polyol monomer for flexible polyurethane foam preparation. The HA co-product is modified to produce the flavoring agent methyl heptanoate and also decarboxylated to produce hexane as a renewable solvent. This scalable process can be performed on oils from multiple algal species, offering valuable monomers from a highly sustainable source.

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Research Organization:: Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office; USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: EE0008246

OSTI ID:: 1799474

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1618592

Journal Information:: Green Chemistry, Vol. 22, Issue 10; ISSN 1463-9262

Publisher:: Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 22 works

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