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Biopolymers and Bioplastics 2016
September 12-14, 2016
Volume 7, Issue 5(Suppl) J Bioremed Biodeg 2016
ISSN: 2155-6199 JBRBD, an open access journal
conferenceseries .com
September 12-14, 2016 San Antonio, USA
3rd International Conference and Exhibition onBiopolymers & Bioplastics
Ryan L Smith, J Bioremed Biodeg 2016, 7:5(Suppl)
A chemical platform for the production of Bio-PET
Ryan L Smith
Micromidas Inc.,USA
Fossil based plastic, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), dominates the current plastic bottle industry. To improve the carbon
footprint of their packaging, and to reduce their reliance on volatile priced oil, the plastic bottle industry desires to instead
produce a biobased PET bottle. The thermoplastic polymer, PET, is a product of the polymerization of monoethyleneglycol
(MEG) and purified terephthalic acid (PTA). These two monomers are almost entirely sourced from fossil sources. To date
there are a few commercial efforts to produce bio-based MEG from ethanol, biobased PTA however, remains unavailable in
the market. PTA is itself synthesized through the oxidation of isomerically pure para-xylene, whereas para-xylene is a product
of oil refining. Micromidas Inc. is a West Sacramento, California, chemical company, which converts biomass to commodity
chemicals and resins. They have recently developed the technology, piloted the process, and are planning to build a first-of-a-
kind commercial demonstration plant that will convert biomass –not oil- to polymer grade p-xylene and other monomers of
interest. This talk will introduce Micromidas and aspects of its core technology.
Biography
Ryan Smith is the Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder of Micromidas, Inc., a chemical technology firm that converts biomass into both conventional
petrochemicals and new chemical intermediates, monomers, and resins. Mr. Smith received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California,
Davis where he was recently named the 2016 the College of Engineering Innovator of the year.