By DOUG SCHMITZ

Iowa Correspondent

JOHNSTON, Iowa — The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has approved a new patent application from the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) for a corn-based industrial chemical used to manufacture antifreeze, plastic bottles for pop and bottled water and polyester clothes.

“This patent proves and establishes the research,” said Lisa Cassady, ICPB public relations manager. “It has that track record. (ICPB researchers) were able to advance that process and improve that step of the process for us to be able to commercialize it.”

This latest patent application (U.S. 62/345,399) approval is a part of the final stages initiated by a previously-issued U.S. patent application (U.S. 2015/0329449), approved two years ago on a proprietary production method that uses corn in the industrial manufacturing of a raw material called monoethylene glycol (MEG).

“Patenting this research will lead to advances in the production processes for corn-based bio-MEG, eliminating the need for the petroleum ethylene derivatives currently used, and creating demand for Iowa corn,” explained Chris Weydert, ICPB director and vice chair of Iowa Corn’s Research and Business Development Committee, and an Algona farmer, of the 2015 patent.

Today, MEG makes up about 30 percent of bottles and polyester, and this final patent application covers an improvement in the process conditions started in 2015 to increase efficiency from approximately 60 to 85 percent yield.

“There is a current market for biobased MEG in pop bottles, and consumers are more and more aware of where the materials they use come from,” Pete Brecht, a Central City farmer who chairs the Research and Business Development Committee, noted. “The renewable packaging market is a logical initial target.”

According to the ICPB, the traditional way bio-MEG is made is through a conversion of sugar cane ethanol, which is usually sourced from Brazil, to ethylene. But still the majority of MEG comes from fossil fuels. The ICPB’s patented process can eliminate the added costs of bio-MEG by going from corn sugar to MEG in one step.

Currently, most MEG goes into making polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a plastic used for beverage bottles, polyester textiles and films. But MEG can also be used as antifreeze, coolants, aircraft deicers and industrial solvents.

Moreover, plastic companies are making limited quantities of bottles using biobased MEG made from sugar cane-based ethanol imported from South America.

“MEG is sold globally and traded every day,” Brecht said. “Our bio-MEG will be the exact same drop-in chemical as the current petroleum-based MEG on the market today. We intend to have our bio-MEG used in the plastic packaging and clothing market. China is the No. 1 consumer of MEG.”

In 2016, 62 billion pounds of MEG were sold, and the market continues to grow at the rate of about 4 percent a year, equating to approximately 94 million bushels of corn.

Investment of checkoff dollars in research and business development allows for a direct return on Iowa corn farmer investments. As a result, ICPB research programs have continued to grow, aiming to find new and innovative uses of corn, such as plastics and industrial chemicals.

The ICPB develops and licenses intellectual property to partner with companies, a strategy officials said will increase the commercialization of new products related to corn and create new opportunities for corn farmers. That’s why Brecht said ICPB researchers are still in the research stage with this latest and final patent process, developing the pilot process for scale-up.

“Pilot scale is necessary when developing a chemical process before commercial scale,” he said. “We expect the pilot process to take a few years, and after that we will have a better idea of when the product will be entering the market.”

He said production efficiencies that drive yield while reducing cost also drive success. “This holds true in manufacturing, as well as in farming. Patenting research that improves production efficiencies of corn-based bio-MEG helps us eliminate the need for petroleum-based ethylene derivatives.

“This creates more environmentally-friendly consumer bioplastic products and increases demand for Iowa corn farmers,” he added.

Mark Heckman, ICPB president and a West Liberty farmer, said the ICPB is excited to have the bio-based MEG production patent application made known to the public. “The ICPB has been working on the MEG research project since 2013,” he added. “We are hopeful that the patent will be granted in the near future.”