COLUMBUS, OH - Battelle has licensed polyols used for intermediates in making foams, coatings and adhesives to Emery OleoChemicals LLC, which will be the exclusive producer of the petroleum replacement chemical in North and South America and Western Europe.

Battelle has performed research on alternative uses for soybeans funded by the Ohio Soybean Council and the United Soybean Council for years, with many breakthroughs, such as plasticizers for flexible vinyl products, toner for printers, lubricants, coatings and many other products that partially or totally replace petroleum-based components.

In this case, Battelle scientists invented a patented process for production of polyols that will be commercialized by Emery OleoChemicals LLC for use in various flexible and rigid foams, polyurethane coatings and adhesives. The technology allows polyols built from renewable resources to replace their counterparts that come from oil on a cost-competitive basis.

Emery OleoChemicals LLC, with North American headquarters in Cincinnati, OH, is one of the world’s largest Oleochemicals producers, with worldwide distribution and plants in North America, Germany and Malaysia.

As an independent research and development organization, Battelle provides innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing needs through its four global businesses: Laboratory Management; National Security; Health and Life Sciences; and Energy, Environment and Material Sciences. It conducts $6.5 billion in global R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management and technology commercialization. Headquartered in Columbus, OH, Battelle oversees 22,000 employees in more than 130 locations worldwide, including seven national laboratories that Battelle manages or co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a nuclear energy lab in the United Kingdom.