Speciality polymers are key part of modern life, from construction to health care these fossil-based materials have a multitude of benefits. However, shifting to bio-based materials while maintaining the properties found in the traditional polymers presents challenges that Synthomer, a supplier of high-performance polymers, is working on with the University of York to overcome.
The collaborators, who already have a long-standing relationship, are recent recipients of funding from an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) programme called the Prosperity Partnerships. The £2 million in funding which comprises money from the EPSRC, along with contributions from Synthomer and the University of York, will see the two organisations work on developing bio-based polymers using feedstocks that do not compete with food.
(L) Robin Harrison, Vice President of Technology Platforms and External Innovation at Synthomer, (R) Professor Helen Sneddon, Head of Green and Sustainable Chemistry at the University of York (Images courtesy of Synthomer and University of York)
New chemistries for bio-derived monomers
The University of York is well known for its leadership in green chemistry, so a decision by Synthomer to work with the university as it moves to make its products more sustainable was an easy decision. “We have had a very good four-year collaboration with the University of York, with two PhD students carrying out projects supporting our goal of reaching net-zero by 2050,” said Robin Harrison Vice President of Technology Platforms and External Innovation at Synthomer.
At the same time the York not only has access to Synthomer’s large scale facilities, but a company that has international reach. Professor Helen Sneddon, Head of Green and Sustainable Chemistry at the University of York said: “This is very much a co-created project where we will be able to develop chemistries to produce monomers that support Synthomer’s business goals in the UK and globally. There is a critical need for a versatile platform of high-quality, reproducible, bio-derived monomers, with differentiated properties, formed from reliable sources of biomass, or carbon dioxide, on a scale of 100s -1000s of tonnes per year that does not compete with food.”
Greener materials with outstanding performance
The Prosperity Partnerships are industry-led projects which run for three to five years. In this case the partners will work to deliver a platform of bio-derived monomers, with a lower carbon footprint, that can be used across a range of applications that Synthomer supports.
“We are not looking to develop a monomer platform for just one of the sectors that Synthomer supports,” says Sneddon, “we are looking for monomers that could work as coating or an adhesive, for example. The monomers will act as the building blocks for Synthomer’s future products.”
“Our customers will expect our bioderived coatings to be as durable as the existing offerings and to perform in the same way if not better than the traditional ones, so we will need to develop chemistries that build products that do not compromise on performance,” Harrison adds.
Testing elastomeric properties, a key performance parameter in many Synthomer applications (Image courtesy of Synthomer)
Ensuring that the products perform as well as their traditional counterparts is very much dependent on feedstock; and bioderived feedstocks, or those that come from waste streams, present a set of challenges related to their purity and consistency. This is one aspect of the bio-based transition that the partners will be focused on. “Diversification of chemical feedstock is an absolute goal; in fact it is something that we are seeing a growth in. But in all applications consistency and reliability of the final product is essential,” said Harrison.
Being amongst the leaders in the shift to more sustainable feedstocks, the partners were also instrumental in the release of a report from UKRI and Innovate UK which considered the role of industrial biotechnology and engineering biology in the adoption of biomass feedstocks in the UK. Released during 2022, the report: Unlocking the UK’s biomass resources as a feedstock for chemical manufacturing notes: “While the transition towards a sector not backed by fossil fuels will require time, we must continue to [establish] a strong foundation to build from to enable this significant cross over.”
The report adds that while biomass has seen strong adoption around biofuels, “the production of high value chemicals from a biomass source remains a largely untapped opportunity.”
“This project is tackling a real-world problem. After three years we intend to have a platform of bio-based low carbon footprint monomers, to help Synthomer meet its 2050 net-zero target and help train the next generation of synthetic polymer chemists in aspects of green chemistry needed by future industry,” Sneddon added.
With the UK’s government committed to moving to greener feedstocks, Harrison highlights the importance of the Prosperity Partnerships. “The Prosperity Partnership has played an important role in supporting businesses. A project of this scale, with its plan for actionable outcomes would not have been possible without government support,” said Harrison. “The funding supports us in moving on from an intellectual discussion to creating the tools and materials to that can tackle these challenges,” Sneddon added.
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