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© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
K. K. Pant et al. (eds.), Catalysis for Clean Energy and Environmental
Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65017-9_3
Bio-Catalytic Itaconic Acid and Bio-Based
Vinyl Monomer Production Processes
Kalpana Avasthi, Ashish Bohre, Basudeb Saha, and Blaž Likozar
Abstract The production of polymers in the present society has relied heavily on
fossil resources. It is not impossible to imagine the world without plastic-based
materials. The production of plastic globally has surpassed 8300 million metric tons
that utilized around 7% of fossil fuels. The limited availability of fossil-based
sources has driven the research and development to find out alternative sources for
the synthesis of polymers. In this regard lignocellulosic biomass is an interesting
feedstock for the synthesis of polymers. However, the overall production cost of the
as-synthesized sustainable polymers is the major obstacle that needs to be addressed.
This chapter described the sustainable bio-catalytic pathways for the production of
four important sustainable vinyl monomers: itaconic acid, acrylic acid, methacrylic
acid, and styrene. Annual production of these monomers exceeds 26 million tons,
albeit from non-renewable feedstocks. They provide the backbone to produce polyesters, polyacrylates, polystyrene adhesives, protective coatings, paints, resins, rubbers, and other copolymers.
Keywords Monomers · Biomass · Catalysis · Sustainability · Metabolic
engineering
K. Avasthi · A. Bohre (*) · B. Likozar (*)
Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering, National Institute of Chemistry,
Ljubljana, Slovenia
e-mail: ashish.bohre@ki.si; blaz.likozar@ki.si
B. Saha (*)
Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
RiKarbon, Inc., Newark, DE, USA
e-mail: bsaha@udel.edu; bsaha@rikarbon.com
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
K. K. Pant et al. (eds.), Catalysis for Clean Energy and Environmental
Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65017-9_3
Bio-Catalytic Itaconic Acid and Bio-Based
Vinyl Monomer Production Processes
Kalpana Avasthi, Ashish Bohre, Basudeb Saha, and Blaž Likozar
Abstract The production of polymers in the present society has relied heavily on
fossil resources. It is not impossible to imagine the world without plastic-based
materials. The production of plastic globally has surpassed 8300 million metric tons
that utilized around 7% of fossil fuels. The limited availability of fossil-based
sources has driven the research and development to find out alternative sources for
the synthesis of polymers. In this regard lignocellulosic biomass is an interesting
feedstock for the synthesis of polymers. However, the overall production cost of the
as-synthesized sustainable polymers is the major obstacle that needs to be addressed.
This chapter described the sustainable bio-catalytic pathways for the production of
four important sustainable vinyl monomers: itaconic acid, acrylic acid, methacrylic
acid, and styrene. Annual production of these monomers exceeds 26 million tons,
albeit from non-renewable feedstocks. They provide the backbone to produce polyesters, polyacrylates, polystyrene adhesives, protective coatings, paints, resins, rubbers, and other copolymers.
Keywords Monomers · Biomass · Catalysis · Sustainability · Metabolic
engineering
K. Avasthi · A. Bohre (*) · B. Likozar (*)
Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering, National Institute of Chemistry,
Ljubljana, Slovenia
e-mail: ashish.bohre@ki.si; blaz.likozar@ki.si
B. Saha (*)
Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
RiKarbon, Inc., Newark, DE, USA
e-mail: bsaha@udel.edu; bsaha@rikarbon.com