Succinic Acid

Succinic acid is a versatile platform chemical which can be used to make other high volume chemicals. Of these chemicals 1,4-butanediol (BDO) possesses the greatest market potential. BDO is a precursor to γ-butyrolactone (GBL), tetrahydrofuran (THF), 2-pyrrolidone and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), all high-volume industrial solvents. Succinic acid also reacts with BDO to make polybutylene succinate (PBS) and poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene terephthalate), biodegradable plastics that have seen some recent commercialization in the packaging and agricultural industries.
Historically succinic acid has found use as a food additive, detergent component, in cosmetics, pigments and toners, cement additives and soldering flux, and as a pharmaceutical intermediate. Recently studies have started making biodegradable deicing chemicals by esterification of succinic acid with alcohols. Succinic acid-derived diammonium succinate, when neutralized, produces ammonium sulfate, which can be used as fertilizer. Catalysts to convert succinic acid into BDO, GBL, and THF in water have been studied.

Fig. 1 Production and application of Succinic Acid. (Nghiem N P.; et al. 2017)

A biodegradable bioenergetic chitosan hydrogel was incorporated with succinic acid (SA) as an energy-active unit for spinal cord injury repair. The SA-modified chitosan hydrogel released energy-active units in a sustained, degradation-mediated manner upon implantation. These internalized units enhanced cellular bioenergetic levels by facilitating tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), achieving at least a 1.5-fold increase in neuronal differentiation markers in vitro. Elevated energy metabolism promoted neuronal differentiation and axonal elongation, leading to enhanced spinal cord injury repair and functional recovery in vivo.

Fig. 2 Schematic of the Succinic Acid-modified chitosan hydrogel. (Xu T.; et al. 2024)