PROGRAM AREA OVERVIEW

21. ALTERNATIVE REACTION MEDIA FOR INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL PROCESSES

Many liquid phase chemical processes involve a solvent, which is usually recovered at the end of the process. Solvents are usually selected for their inertness to desired products and their ease of recovery. Because of environmental considerations, many solvent replacements are currently under investigation. Although environmental concerns are important, this topic seeks to develop solvent substitutes or alternative reaction media that would provide energy efficiency benefits as well. The challenge is to meet both goals with commercially viable costs.

This technical area has been explored extensively, and potential applicants are advised to thoroughly investigate the scientific and patent literature related to proposed ideas. Also, grant applications must demonstrate the possibility of saving energy by solvent elimination or substitution. In order to assure the rapid commercialization of the technology, successful small business applicants will form partnerships with U.S. suppliers to the chemical industry, as well as with U.S. chemical manufacturers and end users of the proposed technology. Although all sectors of the U.S. chemical industry are of interest (including pharmaceutical, agricultural, cosmetic, and specialty chemical), grant applications are sought only in the following subtopics:

a. Ionic Liquids—Ionic liquids, which entail a virtually endless number of chemical compositions, have attracted interest as reaction media due to their low vapor pressures. However, there exist many barriers to the commercial application of ionic liquids in the U.S. chemical industry: difficulty in separating final products, recycling concerns, system costs, and contamination issues. Grant applications are sought to overcome these barriers to the application of ionic liquids as reactive media in chemical processes. Areas of interest include processes in which ionic liquids have already been applied, as well as previously uninvestigated applications.

b. Solventless Polymerization—Although many polymerization reactions are carried out on an industrial scale in a condensed phase without solvents, many others still require the use of solvents. Grant applications are sought to develop technology to eliminate solvent usage in those polymerization processes that currently use solvents. Approaches of interest include, but are not limited to, (1) the development of new catalysts that would enable condensed phase industrial polymerization reactions, and (2) the conversion of a polymerization process, currently carried out in a liquid phase, to a vapor phase, which would eliminate solvent usage. Grant applications that propose solvent substitutions for polymerization reactions are not of interest, despite the possible benefits, and will be declined.

c. Supercritical Solvents—Supercritical solvents, such as carbon dioxide and water in their supercritical states, are used as solvents for a number of industrial chemical processes, providing important advantages over the traditional solvents they replace. Grant applications are sought to expand the use of these supercritical solvents in other chemical processes, and to develop other supercritical materials or mixtures for use as solvents. Grant applications must address the possible energy efficiency benefits of proposed supercritical processes, accounting for the entire process, including materials of construction. For example, extreme demands are placed on materials for supercritical water processes, which limit the application of supercritical water on an industrial scale. Considerable R&D has already been carried out in the supercritical process area; therefore, a careful review of the scientific and patent literature related to the proposed technology development must be conducted.

References:

1. Chemical Vision2020: Current Activities: Ionic Liquids Webpage (http://www.chemicalvision2020.org/ionic_liquids.html)

2. Accelerating Ionic Liquid Commercialization-Research Needs to Advance New Technology Roadmap, Chemical Industry Vision2020 Technology Partnership Workshop, June 2004 (http://www.chemicalvision2020.org/pdfs/ionicliquid_commercialization.pdf)

3. DePaoli, D., et al., Overview: Technical Summaries on Ionic Liquids in Chemical Processing, presented at the Chemical Industry Vision2020 Technology Partnership Workshop, New York, NY, September 11, 2003. (http://www.chemicalvision2020.org/pdfs/ionic_liquids.pdf)

4. Technical Summaries on Ionic Liquids in Chemical Processing, prepared for the Chemical Industry Vision2020 Technology Partnership Workshop, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, August 2003. (Full text available at: http://www.chemicalvision2020.org/pdfs/tech_summary.pdf)

5. Kanel, J., Overview: Industrial Application of Ionic Liquids for Liquid Extraction, presented at the Chemical Industry Vision2020 Technology Partnership Workshop, September 11, 2003. (http://www.chemicalvision2020.org/pdfs/kanel.pdf)

6. New Process Chemistry Technology Roadmap Webpage, U.S. DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, http://www.oit.doe.gov/chemicals/visions_new_chemistry.shtml

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