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The main starting material for the manufacture of carbon fiber is acrylonitrile, a chemical intermediate that is commonly produced from feedstocks derived from petroleum, such as propylene.
The method produces acrylonitrile with a smaller carbon footprint using feedstocks from plants, such as glycerol. Only water and alcohol are created as a result of the bio-based process.
Contrary to the currently employed petroleum-based approach, the bio-based method for producing acrylonitrile has numerous benefits.
The Global bio based acrylonitrile market accounted for $XX Billion in 2023 and is anticipated to reach $XX Billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of XX% from 2024 to 2030.
NREL developed a new process to make Renewable Acrylonitrile. A search for alternative methods employing bio-derived feedstocks like glycerol and glutamic acid has been spurred by the volatility of the price of propylene and environmental sustainability.
However, none have been able to match the cost and output of the conventional technique. Recent NREL research is promising in reaching this objective.
An affordable, bio-based acrylonitrile production technique is demonstrated in “Renewable Acrylonitrile Production.”
Using a brand-new, reliable catalytic technique, researchers were able to produce acrylonitrile with a 98% yield.
This is a significant discovery just based on yields: the conventional acrylonitrile production method, which has undergone six decades of commercial-scale development, only manages yields of 80%–83%.As a result of the high acrylonitrile yield, they are able to suggest a feasible commercial method for turning lignocellulosic biomass into regenerative acrylonitrile and carbon fibers.
Due to connections to the price of propylene, acrylonitrile prices have historically been unstable. This alternative manufacturing method, which uses feedstocks from renewable sources, can help keep acrylonitrile prices stable and encourage a larger market for products made of carbon fiber.
This is a substantial advance in light weighting transportation applications, resulting in significant cost savings for transportation and lowering our environmental impact.
The novel method uses a simpler and less expensive catalyst and could be carried out in a smaller reactor configuration.
It also completely eliminates the generation of hydrogen cyanide, a dangerous byproduct. They are enthusiastic about the potential for this novel chemistry to produce acrylonitrile, which will ultimately make it possible to produce carbon fibers from renewable sources.
