Petrochemicals

Polyester polyols based on rPET and other recycled components. Resinate® is a product line that uses recycled and renewable materials for high-performance applications in coating, adhesives, and foams. The product, Resinate® EP1000-5.6, is based on rPET (recycled PET) and other recycled components, resulting in 66% recycled content. Resinate® C2051-50 is a modified polyol for the coatings marketplace and contains 50% renewable content. 

Synthesis of simvastatin with a biocatalyst. Simvastatin is a drug used to treat high blood pressure and cholesterol. The conventional synthesis of this drug is not atom-economic (<70% original mass) and utilizes toxic feedstocks. This new process from Professor Tang and his research group at UCLA uses a biocatalyst for regioselective acylation with safer and cheaper reagents in a high-yield, single-step process. 

Solid catalyst alkylation process for the production of alkylate. Alkylate is a clean fuel component of gasoline. Traditional production methods use toxic liquid acid technologies that require post-treatment. Using the Alkystar catalyst, AlkyClean is a more efficeint alkylate production process that increases reaction speed and reduces environmental hazards by eliminating the need for liquid acids.

Natural ester dielectric fluid. PCBs were traditionally used as fluid insulators in transformers and were eventually banned due to their high toxicity. PCBs were then replaced with petroleum-based mineral oil. Unfortunately, mineral oil is highly flammable and has a low affinity for water. Additionally, other insulator materials within transformers are made of cellulose. Thus, water inside the transformers was mostly absorbed by the cellulose-based insulator materials, catalyzing their degradation and reducing the lifetime of the transformers.