Biobased acrylic acid plans advance

Over the past decade, a number of companies have tried and failed to commercialize biobased production of acrylic acid , a monomer used to make paints, coatings, and superabsorbent polymers for diapers. Despite those false starts, two projects are moving ahead for biobased acrylic acid or its precursors. LG Chem and GS Caltex hope to start up a demonstration plant in South Korea early next year that will produce biobased 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), which can be dehydrated into acrylic acid. The plant will use LG Chem’s fermentation process and separation technology from GS Caltex. 3-HP can also be used to make biodegradable plastics, the companies say. In 2019, LG Chem announced a partnership with ADM to make acrylic acid from corn. LG Chem says the partnership with GS Caltex is separate and will use a different technology. Meanwhile, Låkril Technologies, a start-up that spun out of Paul Dauenhauer’s University of