In late November the first commercial order from the oil industry for the inulin derivative CMI was received. This inulin application for the oil sector is the result of the innovative ‘inulin for industrial applications’ project, in which Sensus, CFTC and Solutia took part. This milestone may change the course of the project.

Inulin is best known as a prebiotic food ingredient. Cosun company Sensus  makes inulin from chicory roots and works together with customers to develop food products that contain this ingredient. In addition, inulin can be used as a building block to make all kinds of other substances, referred to as inulin derivatives. One of these derivatives is carboxymethylinulin (CMI), an environmentally friendly industrial auxiliary.

Sensus knows all about the production of inulin, while the Cosun Food Technology Centre has a lot of R&D experience with inulin derivatives. Four years ago this combination resulted in the first concrete applications for CMI.

Cooperation
According to Inulin Derivatives Manager Thijs Spoor, “The first CMI application prevents coatings from forming in the discharge pipe leading from the wastewater treatment plant of a paper factory to a river. If toxic or non-biodegradable products were used for this purpose, they would enter the river untreated. This is not a problem with the non-toxic and biodegradable CMI.”

The second application was developed for Suiker Unie, where CMI is used to prevent the formation of coatings in the evaporators in the factory. The advantage of CMI is that it leaves no (petro)chemical substances in the waste steams or end product.

Spoor: “It should be clear that CMI is not a food ingredient. It therefore does not belong to Cosun's core activities. However, we saw enough opportunities for inulin derivatives outside the food sector. This is why Cosun sought to cooperate with Solutia.”

“Based on the first applications, which proved themselves in practice, we expected the market to develop rapidly. This did not happen. Companies believe that CMI fails to offer them sufficient financial benefit. ‘Sustainable’, ‘biodegradable’ and ‘environmentally friendly’ are not yet sufficiently persuasive arguments for switching over to a product such as CMI.”

A new and innovative approach – ‘CMI and oil extraction’ – promises to change this situation. Sensus, CFTC and Solutia have developed a CMI application for the oil industry. This project was partly made possible by a government subsidy within the framework of the ‘EconomyEcologyTechnology’ programme.

First order
In November the first order from the oil industry was placed. When oil is extracted under the seabed, seawater finds its way into the pipes. Certain salts adhere to the walls of the pipes. Until now, petrochemical products were used to prevent this. CMI is an alternative to these, with the added advantage that it does not cause marine pollution.

A service company for the oil industry has been a customer of Solutia for many years. It is convinced of the effectiveness of CMI. Spoor: “One of the main reasons for the sudden interest in CMI is legislative. In Scandinavia, oil companies must replace non-biodegradable and toxic substances with environmentally friendly alternatives, if they are available.”

An average oil field will require about 75 tons of CMI each year. The first order has given the project a new stimulus, which may prove to be the start of a market breakthrough.

More information: Thijs.Spoor@sensus.nl