The Rivertop Oxidation Process

In 2006 Rivertop’s™ founder, Dr. Don Kiely, and his research group developed an improved process that enables the mass production of versatile, high-value renewable chemicals, including glucaric acid. This process and resulting products are consistent with the Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry. The process places low-cost, biodegradable building blocks at the headwaters of chemical supply. As a result, Rivertop was born. Rivertop’s chemical oxidation process assures flexibility and predictability. The patented process does not discriminate between feedstocks — various sugars and sugar alcohols— making it capable of inexpensively producing C2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 sugar acids. Low production costs are achieved through full feedstock conversion, recovery and re-use of reagent, low energy consumption and employment of proven manufacturing processes. First targeting glucaric acid, Rivertop’s oxidation platform utilizes all of the carbon atoms from the glucose feedstock and adds oxygen weight, resulting in a more pounds of product than feedstock input. An inefficient, uneconomical process for making glucaric acid and related sugar acids was established in the 20th century. Rivertop’s innovations take the manufacturing process from technically viable to commercially scalable and economically competitive.