TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY: 3-HP Upgrading Platform

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Summary from the notice

This technology from Los Alamos National Laboratory, 3-HP Upgrading Platform, provides a novel, bio-based pathway to produce methyl methacrylate (MMA) by converting renewably producible 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) into a constituent substrate for normally petroleum-derived MMA. By operating directly on fermentation-derived 3-HP, the process reduces the need for costly puri?cation steps and improves overall production e?ciency. It also introduces a novel chemical intermediate formed during the reaction, o?ering additional di?erentiation. For manufacturers, this approach enables a more sustainable and potentially lower-cost route to a high-demand chemical used in plastics, coatings, adhesives and medical materials—without requiring changes to existing products or end-use applications. Overview: This invention is a chemical process for upgrading 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) into methyl methacrylate (MMA) using an integrated reactive extraction approach. In this system, 3-HP produced through fermentation is directly converted within a solvent phase, where extraction and chemical transformation occur simultaneously. This design improves reaction selectivity and enables more e?cient handling of aqueous fermentation streams compared to conventional multi-step methods. The process includes multiple novel reaction pathways—such as ester- and lactone-based routes—and generates a distinct intermediate during conversion. In addition to MMA production, the approach can be extended to…

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