Chemical conversion of lactose to value-added furan compounds
Innovative chemical process for converting lactose and derivatives into value-added furan compounds suitable for diverse industrial applications, including food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries.
Overview
This innovative chemical process focuses on converting lactose and its derivatives like galactose and lactulose into value-added compounds, specifically polyhydroxalkylated furans and C-glycosyl furan derivatives. These compounds have potential uses as additives in various industries such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals. The solution is highly tunable, allowing optimization for different industrial needs and can work with pure sugars or sugar mixtures.
Technical specifications
- Mild Reaction Conditions: The conversion is efficient under mild conditions, specifically below 50˚C in aqueous environments.
- Scalable Process: Initial experiments have been successfully conducted on a multi-gram scale.
- Optimization Focus: Future efforts include optimizing reaction conditions for scale-up, choosing effective catalysts, and developing methods for processing sugar mixtures.
- Versatile Applications: The resulting furan compounds can be tailored for specific industrial applications, providing a unique competitive advantage.
Technology readiness level
The current technology readiness level is 3, indicating that experimental proof-of-concept has been demonstrated in a laboratory environment. Further optimization and scaling efforts are planned to advance the technology towards commercial readiness.
About Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology is a large, technology‑focused public research university in Atlanta with a strong applied research culture. Industry engages through the Georgia Tech Research Institute for contract R&D, a Midtown innovation district with co‑located corporate labs, and a statewide manufacturing extension to support scale‑up. A long‑standing partnership with a major academic medical center enables clinical translation, and a large co‑op program delivers a steady talent pipeline. Research is backed by competitive federal funding from NSF, NIH, DOE, DoD, and NASA. Technology commercialization is managed by the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, with dedicated licensing, corporate contracting, and startup support.
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