PNNL

Abstract

A significant contribution to displacement of fossil petroleum utilization can be made through the use of renewable waste and byproduct material for commodity chemical production. One such opportunity is lactose recovered from cheese whey. Several routes for use have been considered. A process involving catalytic hydrolysis of the lactose, catalytic hydrogenation to produce the sugar alcohols, and catalytic hydrogenolysis is proposed for production of mixed polyols as the product of choice.