Propylene Glycol (PG) is a non-toxic alcohol that is used in various consumer and industrial applications, such as food and beverage, feed, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, plastics, electronics, etc. Its unique combination of properties makes it a valuable solvent, emulsifier, stabiliser, freezing point reducer and much more. Still, dependency on oil prices, as well as costly and environmentally unfriendly production processes make PG today an expensive additive compared to alternative Ethylene Glycol (EG), a toxic chemical with similar properties and uses, but a tenfold larger market. EG has a sweet taste and is often accidentally ingested, leading to hundreds of fatal intoxication cases around the world annually. Estonian SME Nano OÜ has developed a novel process to produce bio-based PG from agricultural by-products in a fermentation process similar to ethanol fermentation. Innovative production process and our choice of raw materials bring down the production cost and make PG price-competitive with hazardous EG, enabling to replace the latter in various high-value applications where human exposure is inevitable.
The objective of the feasibility study was to determine the business and technical feasibility of Nano’s novel production process to produce bio-based PG, providing vital input to the final product development. In order to do so, three tasks were set. First of all, a comprehensive business plan was developed to ensure successful commercialisation of the innovation project results. Secondly, detailed „freedom-to-operate“-study was performed to ensure no other patents are infringed by the proposed innovation project. Thirdly, a preliminary design of a pilot/demonstration plant for PG manufacturing was outlined.
