Renewable chemicals company Anellotech said on Wednesday that it has been granted a U.S. patent for a catalytic process that converts non-food biomass into a wide range of intermediates for the chemical industry.
The patent’s 18 claims are mainly focused on the production of intermediates such as p-xylene, terephthalic acid, styrene, cumene and adipic acid, which are used in the production of polymer.
“This new patent is an extension of Anellotech’s technology for producing aromatics from clean, non-food biomass, providing broad scope for the conversion of biomass into a spectrum of chemicals that form the backbone of the modern chemical industry,” said Anellotech president and CEO David Sudolsky.
“Our R&D program continues to yield new approaches to developing bio-based chemical building blocks used to make polymers, which are in turn used to produce beverage bottles, clothing, carpeting, automotive components and a wide range of other products. As we execute our R&D program, we are also continuing to make progress towards commercialization and bringing our proprietary technology to a large and global addressable market.”
Anellotech is developing its core technology, thermal catalytic biomass conversion (Bio-TCat), for production of chemicals from renewable, non-food biomass. The technology is covered under issued patents and filed patent applications owned by Anellotech as well as those licensed on an exclusive basis from the University of Massachusetts.
The company plans to utilize Bio-TCat technology for converting biomass to aromatics as the cornerstone of a future bio-based complex, a biorefinery that produces chemicals and fuels.
Anellotech’s new patent covers several important processes for converting these aromatic products into higher value intermediates and polymers, and takes advantage of synergies available from integration with the core technology.
