Applications and Prospects of Succinic Acid and PBAT

Succinic Acid, also known as butanedioic acid, is an important intermediate compound used in the synthesis of various organic compounds and pharmaceuticals. It finds wide-ranging applications in industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. As time progresses, the application fields of succinic acid and its derivative products continue to achieve new breakthroughs.

Seebio PBAT (Polybutylene Adipate Terephthalate) belongs to the category of biodegradable polymers. Synthesized from adipic acid, terephthalic acid, and butanediol monomers, it possesses renewability and excellent physical properties, making it suitable for applications in areas like food packaging, agricultural films, pharmaceuticals, and more. As an eco-friendly alternative material, PBAT contributes to reducing reliance on traditional plastics and thus lessening adverse environmental impacts.

Succinic Acid Synthesis

PBAT Synthesis

Basic Information about Succinic Acid:

Property	Information	Property	Information
English Name	SUCCINIC ACID	Density	1.19 g/mL at 25°C (lit.)
Chemical Formula	C4H6O4	Appearance	Powder/Solid
CAS Number	110-15-6	Acidity (pKa)	4.16 (at 25℃)
Molecular Weight	118.09	Color	Nearly White
Melting Point	185°C	Refractive Index (n20/D)	1.4002 (lit.)
Boiling Point	235°C	pH Value	3.65 (1 mM solution); 3.12 (10 mM solution); 2.61 (100 mM solution)

Basic Information about PBAT:

Property	Information	Property	Information
CAS	60961-73-1	Crystallinity	Approximately 30%
Density	Between 1.18 g/mL and 1.3 g/mL	Melting Point	Approximately 130°C
Crystallization Temperature	Near 110°C	Type	Semi-Crystalline Polymer

For more product details, please contact: service@seebio.cn or Phone: +86 21 58183719

Product Name	Cas	Grade	Specification
Succinic Acid	110-15-6	AR (Analytical Reagent)	50g, 500g, 1kg
PBAT (Polybutylene Adipate Terephthalate)	55231-08-8	AR (Analytical Reagent)	500g, 1kg, 25kg

Advantages of Succinic Acid:

Food Additive: Succinic acid and its salts are used as preservatives and acidity regulators in the food industry. They extend the shelf life of food products and improve taste.

Chemical Raw Material: Succinic acid serves as a chemical raw material for synthesizing various chemical products, including polymers. It enhances the performance and quality of products.

Pharmaceutical Applications: Succinic acid is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry, where it can optimize antibiotic structures and act as an additive in erythromycin synthesis.

Environmental Friendliness: Succinic acid is a relatively eco-friendly compound as it does not cause long-term pollution to ecosystems when it breaks down in the environment. This makes it important in green chemistry and production.

Advantages of PBAT (Polybutylene Adipate Terephthalate)

Biodegradability: PBAT can gradually degrade in natural environments through the action of microbial enzymes, ultimately breaking down into reusable substances like carbon dioxide, water, and biomass. This makes PBAT an environmentally friendly alternative material.

Renewability: PBAT can be synthesized using renewable raw materials such as plant oils and starch, reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

Physical Properties: PBAT exhibits good flexibility, impact resistance, and heat resistance, making it suitable for various applications such as films, packaging materials, textiles, and injection-molded items.

Compatibility: PBAT can be blended with other polymers (e.g., polylactic acid or PLA) to improve material performance and functionality.

Wide Range of Applications: PBAT finds extensive use in the packaging industry, including food packaging bags, garbage bags, agricultural films, and more. It is also used in textiles, consumer goods, and medical products.

Industry Applications of Succinic Acid:

In the Food Sector

Succinic acid (SA) plays a crucial role with diverse applications. It is widely used as a flavor enhancer in the food industry. Biodegradable plastics derived from SA have important roles in food packaging, offering environmental advantages. Additionally, succinic acid exhibits antibacterial effects against Salmonella.

Flavor Enhancer: Succinic acid (SA) and its derivatives have a wide range of applications in the food industry. SA is a common flavor enhancer, and biodegradable plastics derived from SA play a vital role in food packaging. Substituting chemical processes with biological processes brings environmental benefits, but it requires process optimization and reducing substrate costs. This summarizes the use of agricultural by-products as low-cost carbon sources in SA fermentation production and emphasizes the extensive application of SA and its derivatives in the food industry.

Antibacterial Effects: This focuses on evaluating the effect of succinic acid in combination with oregano essential oil on inhibiting the growth of Salmonella and its impact on the quality of chicken meat fillings. The research results show that the combination of succinic acid and oregano essential oil has a significant antibacterial effect, playing a critical role in reducing Salmonella counts and improving the quality of meat products. This study highlights the potential of succinic acid in enhancing food safety and quality and provides a promising approach for improving antibacterial treatment in meat products.

In the Personal Care Field

Succinic acid and its derivatives play a crucial role in the preparation of personal care products. By synthesizing a series of succinic acid-derived surfactants, research has found that they exhibit low critical micelle concentration, high adsorption efficiency, excellent foaming properties, and stability, while being less irritating to the skin. Furthermore, succinic acid plays an important role in emulsion stability.

Personal Care Products: The synthesis of esters and amides derived from succinic acid and maleic acid, including sodium lauroyl succinate (C12SE), sodium lauroyl maleate (C12ME), sodium lauroyl glutamate (C12SA), and sodium hexadecyl maleate (C16ME), has been studied. These surfactants have been found to have low critical micelle concentrations and high adsorption efficiency (pC20), making them highly beneficial for the preparation of personal care products. They form larger micelles that do not penetrate the skin layers, which is crucial for skincare. Moreover, these surfactants exhibit good foaming properties and stability, attributed to faster monomer adsorption and smaller bubble size. These surfactants have lower solubility in proteins and lipids compared to commonly used counterparts, indicating reduced skin irritation. Viscosity measurements suggest that these surfactants exhibit good thickening capabilities in the presence of auxiliary surfactants such as lauramine oxide.

Emulsion Stability: Different hydrophobic chain lengths of succinic acid esters and amides were synthesized and used in the emulsion polymerization of styrene and butyl acrylate. The research highlights succinic acid as a key component, as these surfactants exhibit better stability of styrene/butyl acrylate emulsions compared to traditional sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactants. Approximately 33% to 68% of the succinic acid surfactants were found to be embedded on the surface of the emulsion particles, and high electrolyte concentration and freeze/thaw cycles may lead to emulsion coagulation, making the addition of succinic acid crucial for maintaining emulsion stability.

In the Industrial Field

This encompasses various research findings on biodegradable copolymers. Research methods include the preparation of high-molecular-weight poly(ester carbonate) through a two-step chain extension reaction, the synthesis of biodegradable poly(ester urethane) elastomers based on succinic acid, and the preparation of biodegradable homopolymer and copolymer through esterification and diethylene glycol removal reactions. These studies highlight the diversity and sustainable material potential of biodegradable copolymers.

Biodegradable Copolymers: Research has been conducted to prepare high-molecular-weight poly(ester carbonate) through a two-step chain extension reaction involving excess succinic acid and 1,3-propanediol with thermally condensed polymers. These novel polymers possess biodegradable backbones derived from renewable resources, demonstrating potential environmental-friendly characteristics.

Another study focused on the synthesis of biodegradable poly(ester urethane) elastomers based on succinic acid, comprising poly(diethylene glycol succinate) (PDGS) and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS). Extension of the hydroxyl-terminated precursors of PDGS and PBS was achieved using 4,4'-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate chain extender. The research found that composition had a greater impact on material properties than segment length. PEU with 28.2% PBS content exhibited optimal mechanical properties, including a maximum strength of 41 MPa and a fracture elongation of 1503%. With an increase in PBS segment content, storage modulus and Young's modulus significantly increased, which was attributed to increased crystallinity.

Furthermore, another study involved the synthesis of biodegradable homopolymer and copolymer through esterification and diethylene glycol removal reactions, including PBSU, PBAD, and PBSA. These syntheses were accomplished via esterification and diethylene glycol removal reactions of succinic acid (SA) and adipic acid (AA) with 1,4-butanediol. The research revealed that increasing the content of butyl succinate led to a decrease in melting point, while increasing the content of adipic acid units linearly lowered the glass transition temperature.

Additionally, research was conducted involving the polymerization of isosorbide, succinic acid, and terephthalic acid under various reaction conditions, including heating or not heating in aromatic solvents and with or without a catalyst. Most copolyesters had number-average molecular weights ranging from 7000 to 15000 Da, and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry showed peaks mainly for cyclic compounds. The glass transition temperature gradually increased from 75°C to 180°C, indicating the biodegradable characteristics of these copolyesters.

In the Pharmaceutical Field

Molecular docking studies have identified succinic acid derivatives with potential high-efficiency antibiotic properties, particularly in their interaction with protein 1S17. Additionally, the impact of adding succinic acid in erythromycin biosynthesis was explored, with results showing a significant increase in erythromycin production in cultures rich in succinic acid.

Antibiotic Applications: Molecular docking studies were conducted to investigate potential low-cost antibiotics using proteins 1BSK and 1S17, with research involving succinic acid derivatives. The results indicated that the binding energies and docking modes of some succinic acid derivatives were very similar to molecules originally docked with 1BSK and 1S17. The docking results of succinic acid derivatives with these two proteins suggested that they exhibited similar high efficiency to some known antibiotics such as norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and ofloxacin. Rapid toxicity tests showed that these molecules were non-toxic. Some succinic acid derivatives had higher docking scores with 1S17 protein than the originally docked ligands.

Erythromycin Synthesis Additive: The impact of succinic acid as a component in the culture medium on erythromycin synthesis was studied. It was found that in soybean-corn media rich in succinic acid (0.05-0.4%), the antibiotic content in the fermentation broth was higher than in the control group. The strongest stimulating effect, reaching 135%, was observed when 0.1% succinic acid was added. To achieve optimal antibiotic production in a synthesis medium rich in succinic acid (0.4%), the addition of 0.05% acetic acid was required. Research comparing soybean-corn media with and without succinic acid revealed differences in the content of the aromatic fragment p-aminobenzoylacetone in erythromycin molecules. Under succinic acid-containing culture conditions, the content of p-aminobenzoylacetone in the culture was 10% to 18% higher than in the control group and depended on the fermentation cycle. The role of succinic acid in erythromycin biosynthesis was discussed.

In the Research Field

Succinic acid (SA) can serve as an effective "green" inhibitor to suppress the corrosion behavior of metals.

Corrosion Inhibition Effect: The corrosion inhibition effect of succinic acid (SA) on a low-carbon steel (LCS) electrode was investigated in a non-stirred 1.0 M HCl solution at 25°C and a pH range of 2 to 8. Various methods, including weight loss, potentiodynamic polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), were employed to study the corrosion behavior of the metal under different experimental conditions and SA concentrations. The results indicated that SA acts as a promising "green" corrosion inhibitor in HCl solutions, primarily functioning as an anodic-type inhibitor. The inhibition efficiency increased with higher SA concentrations, solution pH values, and immersion times. The maximum inhibition efficiency (approximately 97.5%) was achieved when SA concentration exceeded 0.01 M and the pH was set to 8.

PBAT Industry Applications:

Biodegradable Packaging Plastics

This encompasses three different biodegradable packaging materials: PBAT/TPS films, PBAT/PLA films, and PBAT-starch films. These materials provide innovative solutions for green and biodegradable packaging. By improving the properties and environmental characteristics of the materials, they meet various packaging requirements and provide valuable information for the development of sustainable packaging.

PBAT/TPS Nanocrystal Blends: PBAT/TPS nanocrystal blend films were prepared using flat extrusion methods for food packaging. These films exhibit controlled water vapor permeability and a porous surface, demonstrating antibacterial and oxidation-promoting properties suitable for packaging fruits and vegetables. This innovative material caters to the growing packaging needs.

PBAT/PLA Nanocomposites: Biodegradable polymers are becoming increasingly important in various applications, with polylactic acid (PLA) and polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) being favored choices. By incorporating antibacterial natural rosin, the modification process was simplified while maintaining the environmental characteristics and enhancing the antibacterial properties of PBAT/PLA blends. The morphology of the blends was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermal performance was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Ultimately, the addition of antibacterial natural rosin significantly improved the performance of PBAT/PLA polymer blends, making them suitable for green packaging.

Another study developed a biodegradable film containing the reactive compatibilizer POSS(epoxy)8 through melt processing, including PBAT/PLA. POSS(epoxy)8 enhanced adhesion at the PBAT/PLA interface, improving the film's mechanical properties and gas permeability. This film exhibits outstanding performance in the food packaging industry, offering a straightforward approach to creating high-performance biodegradable packaging films.

Furthermore, another study explored the CO2-mediated pyrolysis treatment of biodegradable cover films made of polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and polylactic acid (PLA). The research found that CO2-mediated pyrolysis can effectively recover waste from biodegradable plastics as it produces more gaseous products, inhibiting the formation of wax and char while promoting PBAT's polymer bond cleavage, resulting in more monomeric compounds. This method can enhance the feasibility of handling biodegradable plastics.

PBAT-Starch Blends: PBAT is a fully biodegradable polymer, and blending it with plasticized starch is an effective approach to prepare biodegradable packaging. Studies have shown that maleic anhydride-modified PBAT (PBATg-MA) is an effective compatibilizer, improving mechanical properties and affecting the kinetics of biodegradation. This opens new directions for developing biodegradable packaging.

Agricultural Mulch Films

To address plastic film pollution, PBAT biodegradable films have gained popularity in agriculture. In one study, PBAT films were compared with conventional polyethylene (PE) films and uncovered soil for tomato cultivation. The results showed that PBAT films began to degrade after 60 days, with a degradation rate of 60.98% within 100 days. Overall, PBAT films maintained soil temperature and humidity similarly to PE films during the tomato seedling and flowering stages. In the maturation stage, due to significant PBAT film degradation, soil humidity was lower than with PE films, but it had no significant negative impact on tomato growth, yield, and quality. Tomato yield under PBAT films was only 3.14% lower than under PE films but significantly higher than the control, with increases of 63.38% and 68.68%, respectively, indicating the feasibility of using PBAT films for crops in arid regions of southern Xinjiang, China.

Isolation of PBAT-Degrading Bacteria: Research screened 5 potential PBAT-degrading bacteria from soil samples using PBAT films as the sole carbon source. Among them, strain JZ1, confirmed through 16S rDNA sequence analysis, achieved an actual PBAT degradation rate of 12.45% within eight weeks after optimizing cultivation conditions, including nitrogen source, pH, and inoculation volume. SEM and EDX analyses indicated that microbial degradation mainly occurred in the amorphous region of PBAT films and followed an oxidation process. These findings suggest that Peribacillus frigoritolerans holds promise for controlling the PBAT film degradation process in farmland.

In the Medical Field

A PBAT/PMMA/MA/TCP biomedical composite material was prepared and characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, SBF, and cell viability tests. The study found that the material exhibited good biocompatibility, superior cell viability, and rapid degradation during testing. Compared to PBAT/PMMA blends, it showed slightly improved tensile and hardness properties. These biomedical composite materials are suitable for the manufacturing of medical devices.

In the Dye Field

Superhydrophilic PBAT foam with added iron pillar-like montmorillonite (IPB) was used for dye degradation, heavy metal removal, and oil-water separation. Foams were prepared through solution separation and sugar template methods, followed by impregnation to coat polyacrylamide/SiO2 onto the foam, imparting superhydrophilicity to it. The study investigated the static adsorption of Methylene Blue (MB) and Cu2+ by the foam. Adsorption isotherms were well-fitted to the Langmuir model, suggesting monolayer adsorption. Adsorption kinetics fitting confirmed that the adsorption process followed a pseudo-second-order model, mainly driven by chemical adsorption. The improved PBAT foam exhibited excellent adsorption performance for Cu2+ and demonstrated good cyclic adsorption capacity for MB, with the photodegradation efficiency of MB remaining above 95% after five consecutive cycles. The superhydrophilicity of the foam makes it highly promising for oil-water separation applications.

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