The Midas Touch

California-based Micromidas is looking to replace purified terephthalic acid with a bio-based alternative, as the essential building block for polyester for nonwovens, textiles and plastics.

Founded in 2008, the company has developed a chemical process technology to make a variety of commodity chemicals from cellulosic biomass and ethylene sourced from waste products including:
•    Post consumer paper products such as corrugated cardboard.
•    Agricultural residues such as rice hulls, switch grass, and empty palm fruit bunches.
•    Wood products such as pine chips and sawdust
•    Pulp and paper waste such as paper sludge.

The first commodity chemical Micromidas is addressing is para-xylene, as the primary feedstock in the manufacturing of PET and polyester.

The process employs new chemistry with conventionally synthesized catalysts to convert whole cellulosic biomass into:
•    Bi and mono-functional aromatics (e.g. para-xylene)
•    2,5-bifunctional aliphatics and heterocycles

Unlike other processes, the Micromidas route foregoes fermentation. And while most bioplastic typically requires first converting biomass to sugar before continuing the chemical conversion, Micromidas is able to skip that step

The highly selective synthesis for converting cellulosic biomass and ethylene to para-xylene is said to produce none of the typical co-products associated with crude oil-derived xylene – no meta-xylene, no ortho-xylene, and no other aromatics – just para-xylene – resulting in high purity and low cost production.

Micromidas has filed over 16 patents on the technology and has raised $25 million in equity capital to date, primarily from the Buff Group and Evergreen Capital.

It is currently commissioning a pilot plant with a capacity of 500 kg/day which ir hopes will be operable in 2014.