Sustainable, 'Green' Vinyl Ester Resin (VER) from Renewable Resources

WP-2317

Objective

The primary objective of the program is to apply the sustainable, environmentally safe “green” vinyl ester resin (GVER) technology demonstrated to be feasible during the successfully completed SERDP limited-scope project WP-1755. Materials and processes will be refined and scaled up to produce larger quantities of GVER. The GVER will be vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM)-processed into lightweight composites, and performance equivalent to currently used Department of Defense (DoD) composite weapons systems components demonstrated by composite material mechanical property testing. The US Air Force, Navy, Army and Ashland Inc., a VER manufacturer, will be approached to guide QinetiQ North America, Inc. Technology Solutions Group (QNA) toward development of appropriate military composite materials and component structures. The GVER for military composite structures will be made from biowaste, namely lignin, recovered from wood wastes, and glycerin, recovered from biodiesel wastes. These source materials are renewable, low-cost, and are becoming increasingly abundant, and so will eliminate dependence on imported oil and concomitant volume and price variations. Because of the toxicity of epichlorohydrin relative to a prior Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation, a key environmental objective is to eliminate use of epichlorohydrin from the GVER synthesis route. Finally, the performance of all refined materials produced in the program will be demonstrated by standard characterization tests. The reactive diluent (RD) used in the final GVER formulation will be selected from RD currently used by DoD and Ashland in military VER-based composites. Ideally, this RD will be an environmentally safe drop-in replacement for the toxic, hazardous styrene monomer RD used previously in commercial VER formulations with equivalent composite performance, demonstrated by testing at QNA, DoD and Ashland.

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Technical Approach

GVER production from renewable sources will consist of four steps: 1) Recovery of phenol from lignin and wood wastes; 2) conversion of the recovered phenol into bisphenol A (BPA); 3) synthesis of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) from waste glycerin; and 4) synthesis of GVER from BPA and GMA. Efficiency of supercritical water hydrolysis vs. flash pyrolysis methods for converting lignin and wood waste into phenols at high yield (30 percent) and purity will be compared. Economic and environmental impacts will be major determinants in the selection/evaluation of each synthesis step.

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Benefits

Use of composite materials for construction of DoD weapons platforms will approach 200 million pounds per year. VER is a low-cost resin that can be processed at ambient temperature using VARTM into massive glass and carbon-fiber-reinforced composite structures such as ship hulls, aircraft and transportation vehicles. Because VER production is highly dependent on foreign oil, it is subject to volatile, usually escalating prices and limitations in supply. The continued viability of this strategic DoD weapons material is further jeopardized by the use of hazardous materials, epichlorohydrin and styrene, in its manufacture. Successful completion of this full-scope SERDP follow-on program will provide a sustainable, economical, environmentally compliant and reliable source of GVER needed for military and commercial composites. Additional benefits include:

  • Elimination of US dependence upon foreign oil for manufacture of critical military and commercial composites.
  • Replacement of epichlorohydrin with GMA yields an environmentally benign synthesis.
  • Production of BPA and GMA from nonpetroleum biowastes will provide sustainable raw materials for production of other high-value chemical products such as epoxy, methacrylate, polyester and phenolic thermoset resins, as well as polycarbonate and polysulfone resins.

(Anticipated Project Completion - 2016)

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Points of Contact

Principal Investigator

Dr. Yongwoo Lee

QinetiQ North America Operations

Phone: 781-684-3923

Fax: 781-684-4600

Program Manager

Weapons Systems and Platforms

SERDP and ESTCP

Document Types

  • Fact Sheet - Brief project summary with links to related documents and points of contact.
  • Final Report - Comprehensive report for every completed SERDP and ESTCP project that contains all technical results.
  • Cost & Performance Report - Overview of ESTCP demonstration activities, results, and conclusions, standardized to facilitate implementation decisions.
  • Technical Report - Additional interim reports, laboratory reports, demonstration reports, and technology survey reports.
  • Guidance - Instructional information on technical topics such as protocols and user’s guides.
  • Workshop Report - Summary of workshop discussion and findings.
  • Multimedia - On demand videos, animations, and webcasts highlighting featured initiatives or technologies.
  • Model/Software - Computer programs and applications available for download.
  • Database - Digitally organized collection of data available to search and access.