The lab has produced 50 grams of renewable acrylonitrile from corn stover, the waste biomass left over from corn harvesting, with 3-hydroxypropionic acid as an intermediate product.
The next phase of the research project will convert those 50 grams into carbon fiber with subsequent testing.
Agribusiness giant Cargill will also produce larger quantities of biobased 3-HP, while West Virginia nonprofit research institute, MATRIC, will convert the 3-HP into acrylonitrile. An unnamed Portuguese company will then convert that into carbon fiber, and Ford Motor Company will then test the carbon fiber against conventionally produced carbon fiber to evaluate its use in automotive parts.
NREL says the project will be considered successful if the strength and properties of the carbon fiber produced via biobased acrylonitrile is comparable to its petroleum-derived counterpart.
According to NREL, whether the process for biomass-derived ACN ultimately catches on will depend on the strength and properties of the resulting carbon fiber and how that compares to the traditional method.