University of Louisville
Biorenewable/Biodegradable Synthesis of Polymeric Materials from C-5 Sugars
Institution
University of Louisville
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Christopher Burns; Dania A. Fonseca
Abstract
Most plastics are currently manufactured using petroleum products. As environmental concerns mount and fossil fuel reserves are being depleted, there is a clear need to develop alternative ways to produce the materials that are such an integral part of our lives: plastics. The aim of this research is to develop a polymerizable cyclic ester using dried distillers grain, a renewable resource obtained after bourbon production. This work describes the initial steps for synthesizing a seven membered cyclic ester capable of ring opening polymerization. The target molecules are derived from L-arabinose and D-xylose, two C-5 feedstocks extracted from dried distillers grain. The ultimate goal is to make this synthesis scalable and compatible with current manufacturing infrastructure. In doing so, our target esters have the potential to produce viable economic alternatives to petroleum derived plastics.
Biorenewable/Biodegradable Synthesis of Polymeric Materials from C-5 Sugars
Most plastics are currently manufactured using petroleum products. As environmental concerns mount and fossil fuel reserves are being depleted, there is a clear need to develop alternative ways to produce the materials that are such an integral part of our lives: plastics. The aim of this research is to develop a polymerizable cyclic ester using dried distillers grain, a renewable resource obtained after bourbon production. This work describes the initial steps for synthesizing a seven membered cyclic ester capable of ring opening polymerization. The target molecules are derived from L-arabinose and D-xylose, two C-5 feedstocks extracted from dried distillers grain. The ultimate goal is to make this synthesis scalable and compatible with current manufacturing infrastructure. In doing so, our target esters have the potential to produce viable economic alternatives to petroleum derived plastics.