Bio-Based Acrylonite (bio-ACN™) from Glycerol

Trillium has developed a technology that produces bio-ACN™ from glycerol. Glycerol is a renewable feedstock that is a byproduct of converting natural oils and fats into soaps, detergents, and biofuels. Bio-ACN™ has a 70% lower carbon footprint than petroleum-based acrylonitrile. This process is scalable and cost-competitive due to the use of an efficient catalytic process that dehydrates glycerin to acrolein. Acrylonitrile is then produced by reacting acrolein with oxygen and ammonia. Acetonitrile, a valuable solvent and synthetic building block, is produced as a co-product of converting natural oils and fats into soaps, detergents, and biofuels.