The PPC polymer production run, conducted by Novomer in collaboration with specialty chemical manufacturer Albemarle Corporation, tested scale-up of Novomer’s novel catalyst technology. Requiring only minor modifications to existing Albemarle facilities, the run produced 7 tons of finished polymer, which will be used to accelerate product qualification.

The Novomer process uses a catalyst to create PPC polymers through the co-polymerization of CO₂ and chemicals called epoxides. The process results in polymers containing more than 40% CO₂ by weight. The CO₂-containing polymers can be tailored for applications with a broad range of material characteristics from solid plastics to soft, flexible forms, depending on the size of the polymer chain.

Novomer is positioning its new polymer technology to compete with conventional petroleum-based raw materials across a diverse range of applications, including flexible, rigid, and microcellular packaging foams, thermoplastics, polyurethane adhesives and sealants, and coating resins for food and beverage cans.

Conventional production of plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene is heavily dependent on fossil fuels. The Novomer process reduces the use of these fuels by replacing up to half of the mass of the petroleum-based product with CO2. Capital requirements and operational costs to produce the new polymers closely mirror conventional production costs, and the products demonstrate increased strength and environmental resistance relative to existing polymers.

Incorporation into existing formulations results in packaging foams with higher tensile strength and load-bearing capacity, and adhesives and coatings with improved adhesion, cohesive strength, and “weatherability” properties, such as UV- and water-resistance.