In Phase I we demonstrated maleation chemistry of soybean oil and developed a viable process scheme to manufacture maleated soyoil and derivatives. The maleate ester was shown to be a good plasticizer for poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and has potential to capture a sign)ficant share of the plasticizer markets currently dominated by phthalate plasticizers because of the phthalate's toxicity, leachability, and migration. Preliminary engineering and economic analysis shows the feasibility of the process. Phase II research will provide information necessary to design a pilot scale process to modify soybean oil by maleic anhydride. Reaction conditions and downstream processing will be optimized to achieve the functionality and purity necessary for further reaction with other functional polymers and the use as a resin plasticizer. When the parameters of the pilot scale process have been determined a larger scale process can manufacture maleated soybean oil for use as a thermosetting coating materials and plasticizer for synthetic resins. Successful completion of Phase II operations will allow the company to set-up a commercial plant to manufacture maleated soybean oil and derivatives through a joint venture or technology transfer with a major soybean processor. The development and commercialization of value-added products from renewable agricultural feedstocks, like soybean, have potential to sign)ficantly enhance the economic well-being of U.S. agriculture - a high priority goal for USDA.Applications:The proposed studies will yield a scaled-up process ready for commercial-scale production of maleated soybean oil and ester. This research will exploit the availability of soybean oil and capture current plasticizer market share from products such as dioctyl phthalate and enhance the compatibility and increase usage of epoxidized soybean - benefiting both U.S. agriculture and the U.S. chemical industry. Further, the new applications developed here will expand markets for maleated soybean oil and ester. It is anticipated that the competitive price of maleated soybean oil ester can displace phthalate plasticizers, due to its high plasticization capability, non-toxicity, and low ability to leach under various conditions.
