Skip to content

TemTA project New biomaterials made by reactive extrusion from cellulose and by-products of vegetable oil production

Cellulose needs chemical modification to become thermoplastic. The current industrial technologies of cellulose chemistry have a high environmental impact (including reagents and solvents) and are expensive. Production of the most cellulose-based plastic, cellulose acetate (CA), is energy-intensive and the product is only ~50% bio-based because fossil based reagents and a plasticizers are used.

Therefore, the project is devising and demonstrating novel, sustainable esterification routes for preparing thermoplastic fatty acid cellulose esters (FACEs) and their potential applications.

Sustainability of the FACEs is ensured by minimizing the impact of the esterification agents, solvents as synthesis environment and modification methods. The cellulose esterification process is based on chemically modified plant oils, new solvent systems, catalytic effects and mechanochemical effect of reactive extrusion (REX).

Natural drug research, Natural organic and scientific extraction in glassware, Alternative green herb medicine, Natural skin care beauty products, Laboratory and development concept.

More detailed research goals

  •  Optimization of the unique REX process based on laboratory pilot technology for productivity and to increase energy efficiency.
  • The development of modern solvent environments based on deep eutectic solvents (DES) for the manufacture of FACEs. Their effectiveness in dissolving of cellulose and performance as an esterification environment in the REX process is explained.
  • Development of plant oil based esterification reagents, including raw materials as plant oil production by-products and used cooking oil.
  • Development of separation methods for recycling solvents and byproducts.
  • Optimizing the physical and technological properties of new biomaterials according to potential application areas.
  • Performing a life cycle analysis of FACEs and analyzing recycling scenarios to clarify circular economic opportunities and bottlenecks.  
Logo_BioPol_full_white

Biopolümeeride tehnoloogia labor
Materjali- ja keskkonnatehnoloogia instituut
Tallinna Tehnikaülikool

TalTech_logo_valge_small-1