Johnson Matthey Davy Technologies Ltd. (JM Davy) and Rennovia are collaborating to develop, demonstrate and commercialize catalytic process technologies for the production of bio-based glucaric acid and adipic acid.

Under the collaboration, Rennovia and JM Davy will work together to develop and demonstrate the processes based on Rennovia’s technology for the catalytic aerobic oxidation of glucose to glucaric acid, as well as the catalytic hydrogenation of glucaric acid to adipic acid.

The goal of the collaboration is to develop and jointly license a technology package enabling commercial production of these chemical products. Adipic acid, an industrial chemical conventionally derived from petroleum, is a multi-billion dollar global market, with major applications in nylon-6,6 fibers, engineering resins, polyester polyols for polyurethanes, and adipate ester plasticizers.

JM Davy and Rennovia anticipate delivering technology capable of producing a bio-based adipic acid equivalent to the petroleum-based product, at a lower cost, and with a significantly improved environmental footprint.

Glucaric acid is an emerging platform chemical with wide applications in detergent, de-icing, cement, and anti-corrosion markets.

JM Davy said its bio-based process technology portfolio has already licensed 1.5 million tons of bio-based chemical product utilizing catalytic chemical transformations.

With its extensive experience developing and licensing catalytic process technologies across a wide range of bio-based and petrochemical markets, Rennovia said JM Davy is an ideal development and licensing partner for its renewable glucaric acid and adipic acid products.

JM Davy is well-known in the oleochemicals industry for its detergent alcohols production technology with clients such as Ecogreen, KLK, Pan Century, Musim Mas, Oleoquimica and Sasol (among others). The company also owns a licensing technology to produce propylene glycol from glycerin.

JM Davy is currently in partnership with Myriant for the technology to produce 1,4 butanediol from succinic acid.