Cellulosic Propylene Glycol Production

By: Katie Schaefer, C&T magazine

Posted: September 29, 2010, from the October 2010 issue of Cosmetics & Toiletries.

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“There are so many plants that contain cellulose. Someone could even convert waste paper to cellulose; they would just have to develop the extraction process.”

Finally, Trahanovsky emphasized that the reaction is not sensitive to impurities. “Enzymes do great things such as produce glucose from cellulose but they are sensitive to impurities. [This] technique is insensitive to impurities, allowing a person to deal with starting materials that are not pure,” noted Trahanovsky.

Once a separation technique is developed, the resulting propylene glycol could be formulated into skin moisturizers, where marketers could highlight the material’s petrolatum-alternative source. Trahanovsky also is working on separating the sugar derivatives, of which alkyl glucoside could be used as a surfactant in the cosmetics industry.

As work on the reaction continues, Trahanovsky concluded, “We are trying to make it more of a continuous process. The potential is there, it just needs additional engineering, and we are looking for a partnership to develop it on a larger scale.”