Cathay Dupont Award: Biobased polymers keep textiles green

Cathay Dupont Award: Biobased polymers keep textiles green

DuPont offerings grow

DuPont makes Sorona (polytrimethylene terephthalate, PTT) biobased fibres (37% renewably sourced by weight) for carpet and apparel applications via continuous polymerisation of bio-PDO (1,3-propanediol), which is made from fermented sugars, and terephthalic acid (TPA).

Sorona production uses 30% less energy and releases 63% fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to the production of nylon 6,  according to Michael Saltzberg, global business director for biomaterials at DuPont.

He notes that growth in the adoption of Sorona is largely due to its unique performance properties, including softness, inherent  stain resistance, stretch and recovery and durability; and secondly because of its renewably resourced content, which supports the performance.

The company will be introducing new products in late 2016 or early 2017 that will expand Sorona’s colour palette capabilities and facilitate Sorona/natural textile blends.

DuPont Industrial Biosciences also announced in January 2016 that, in collaboration with Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), it has developed an efficient, high-yielding, low-cost method for the production of furan cdicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME) from fructose.

FDME is an attractive biobased raw material for the production of various polymers, such as polytrimethylene furandicarboxylate (PTF), a 100% biobased novel polyester produced via  the copolymerisation of FDME and bio-PDO.

The two companies are planning to build an integrated 60 tonnes/year demonstration plant in Decatur, Illinois, to provide potential customers with sufficient product quantities for testing and research. read cathay dupont award articles here