Research Program 1
Project 1 Development of Value-Added Products from Lignocellulosic Biomass
Institution: Koruma Klor Alkali San. ve Tic. AŞ..
Established in 1949 as Turkey's first agricultural pesticide producer, KORUMA expanded and modernized its chlorine-alkali facilities established in 1963 with a new vision after 1994, becoming the country's largest chlorine-alkali producer. For the first time in Turkey, this facility produced chlorine (liquefied chlorine gas), sodium hydroxide, hydrogen, hydrochloric acid, sodium hypochlorite, and chlorinated paraffin.
In accordance with the new goals established/set in 1994, Koruma initiated the production of many agricultural pesticides for the first time in Turkey, facilitated capacity expansion and technological enhancement to further improve the current production levels, and developed projects focusing on new investments.
In 2007, the Kırıkhan/Hatay chlorine-alkali plant, marking the first chlorine-alkali facility in Southeastern Anatolia to serve the Mediterranean, Eastern, and Southeastern regions, was established. In 2012, Koruma, which received the first autoproducer license from EPDK, established a cogeneration plant at its Derince facilities and commissioned the Denizli chlorine alkali plant in the same year. According to the data of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, Koruma, which is among the top 500 industrial establishments in Turkey, is climbing higher in this list every year.
Koruma Group of Companies is also the home of Koruma Temizlik A.Ş. This company is known for its HYPO generic brand, which introduced Turkey to bleach and made it a shelf product by bottling it. Koruma Temizlik A.Ş. started its operations in Hatay in 2006 and in Denizli in 2011. Thus, it started to produce in three different regions of our country. In response to the demands and market research, it has expanded its product range, which started with bleach, to include cleaning, personal care and cosmetic products.
In 2015, Koruma received the title of R&D Center from the Ministry of Industry and started to focus on R&D activities. In the same year, the first TÜBİTAK project was approved, and in 2018, the Horizon 2020 project was approved, marking the first time that Koruma took part in an EU-funded project. Koruma R&D Center carries out R&D studies and projects on the production of chemicals not produced in Turkey, the development of bio-based and sustainable products, reducing carbon emissions and/or product development using carbon dioxide, and energy saving.
Project 1.1 Development of Value-Added Products from Lignocellulosic Biomass
Institution: Koruma Klor Alkali San. ve Tic. AŞ..
Project 1.1 Summary
The increasing industrialization (in today’s world) has increased the use of fossil fuels, which has led to serious environmental problems such as climate change, air, and water pollution. Fluctuating oil prices, influenced by economic and political factors, have accelerated the search for alternative, renewable raw materials to fossil-based chemical and polymeric materials. The growing environmental consciousness also supports this quest/search. In this context, the replacement of oil-based products with renewable natural materials is of critical importance for sustainable development as well as for our environment.
Within the project framework, the goal is to separate lignin, hemicellulose, and lignin+cellulose mixtures from biomass. In the project, low molecular weight lignin will be extracted to synthesize bio-sourced epoxy resin, and the curing kinetics of the epoxy resin will be examined. Additionally, enhancing flame retardancy properties is targeted. The use of this valuable bio-based resin as a coating material for electronic circuit boards and to replace existing oil-based epoxy resins is among the targeted project outcomes.
The project is dedicated to the development of sustainable import substitution products and materials. The outcomes of the project, which will concentrate on raw material production, material synthesis and productization processes, as well as bio-based product manufacturing and recycling, are poised to benefit numerous users and diverse sectors. This endeavor also holds the potential to foster various collaborations.
The outputs of the project include:
- Sustainable, eco-friendly raw materials from biomass,
- Bio-based epoxy resin synthesized using low molecular weight lignin obtained,
- Bio-based flame-retardant coating materials for use in electronic circuit boards,
- Highly recyclable lignocellulosic fibers and the creation of a recyclable monitor rear panel prototype utilizing these fibers.