DDGS Polyol Production via Amino-Amide Intermediates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current processes for transforming distillers grain products into polyols are limited, with high moisture content in wet distillers grains restricting shelf life and transportation, and only a small percentage of lignin is utilized, while existing methods for producing polyurethanes are costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
Reacting proteinaceous components like distillers grains with amines to generate amino-amides and amides, followed by alkoxylating agents to produce polyols, which can then be reacted with isocyanates to create rigid polyurethane foams, using conventional equipment and catalysts like tetramethylguanidine for lignin polyols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If wet distillers grains are used to produce polyols, then the process can utilize readily available feedstock, but the high moisture content (up to 70%) restricts shelf life to only 4-5 days and limits transportation to within 20 km of the ethanol production facility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by converting wet distillers grains into dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) before polyol production. This preprocessing step removes excess moisture (reducing from up to 70% to approximately 10-12% moisture content), thereby extending shelf life from 4-5 days to almost indefinite storage while maintaining the protein and lignin content necessary for polyol synthesis. The dried product can then be transported to remote markets without the 20 km restriction.
2Ease of manufacture
If only conventional polyol production methods are used, then the process is straightforward, but it fails to utilize the abundant lignin (3-4% in DDGS) and protein components effectively, resulting in wasted resources and higher costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the chemical structure of lignin and protein through controlled chemical reactions. Lignin is converted into lignin polyols through reactions that introduce hydroxyl groups, while proteins are transformed into amino polyols. These parameter changes in molecular structure enable the waste components to function as valuable polyol resources, replacing petrochemical polyols in rigid foam production and reducing both manufacturing cost and resource waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses chemical intermediaries (such as epoxides and other reacting agents) to transform lignin and protein into functional polyols. These intermediaries facilitate the conversion by providing reactive groups that link to the lignin and protein structures, creating new molecules with desirable polyol properties including appropriate molecular weight, hydroxyl number, and functionality for foam production.
3Reliability
If petrochemical polyols are used in rigid foam production, then the foam production process is well-established, but it incurs high costs and contributes to environmental issues, with the patent enabling replacement of up to 50% of petrochemical polyols
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies discarding and recovering by taking materials (lignin and protein) that would normally be discarded as waste or low-value animal feed and recovering their chemical value through transformation into polyols. This process captures the utility of these waste streams, converting them into functional ingredients for rigid foam production, thereby reducing dependency on petrochemical polyols and lowering both environmental impact and production costs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables low-cost, high-functional polyols production from distillers grains and lignin, extending the shelf life of products, utilizing otherwise waste materials efficiently, and producing polyurethane foams with minimal additional processing difficulty, replacing up to 50% of petrochemical polyols in rigid foam production.
Implementation Method 1
reacting a proteinaceous component with an amine under reaction conditions to generate amino-amides and amides
Implementation Method 2
reacting these reaction products with an alkoxylating agent to generate polyols
Implementation Method 3
using conventional equipment and catalysts like tetramethylguanidine for lignin polyols
Implementation Method 4
reacted with isocyanates to yield polyurethanes
Data Source
AI summary
Processes for the production of polyols from sources such as dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) make use of a two-stage reaction scheme. In the first stage, the proteinaceous starting material is reacted with an aminating agent, such as diethanolamine (DEOA), to generate amino-amides and amides. These products are then reacted with an alkoxylating agent, preferably a substituted or unsubstituted epoxide to yield polyols. These polyols may be further reacted with isocyanates to give low-cost rigid polyurethane foams. In alternate forms, lignin may be directly converted to polyols by reaction with an alkoxylating agent, optionally followed by reaction with an isocyanate to produce polyurethanes.