WASHINGTON — March 3, 2017 — Dr. Michael Saltzberg, global business director of Biomaterials, DuPont Industrial Biosciences, will update industry leaders on latest technologies in biomaterials from DuPont and future trends in the industry at the 2017 Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference (ABLC) today in Washington.
Saltzberg, speaking during the Industry Horizons Forum panel, will discuss DuPont’s heritage in breakthrough solutions, such as DuPont™ Sorona® technology for apparel and carpeting, and showcase a recent collaboration with ADM on a process to produce furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME) from fructose. This renewably sourced FDME will serve as a building block that can be used to create a variety of high-value bio-based chemicals or materials that can deliver high performance across numerous applications.
One polymer in development using FDME is polytrimethylene furandicarboxylate (PTF), a new form of polyester that will combine the renewably sourced molecule with a groundbreaking DuPont proprietary biomaterial — Bio-PDO™ (1,3-propanediol). Being 100-percent renewable and recyclable, PTF represents a massive sea change for the bioeconomy: it will, for example, significantly improve the gas-barrier properties of bottles (compared to other polyesters), thus improving the shelf life of any number of products in the beverage packaging industry.
“We’ve seen enormous success in the marketplace for Bio-PDO™ and FDME and PTF are a promising extension of that technology,” explained Saltzberg. “Every day DuPont is proving the tangible value of the bioeconomy — not only are these renewably sourced materials more sustainable, they’re fulfilling our imperative that bio-products are better performing and a better value for our customers.”
Bio-PDO™, a winner of the EPA’s Green Chemistry award, has been produced in the United States for a decade by DuPont Tate & Lyle BioProducts, a joint venture between DuPont Industrial Biosciences and Tate & Lyle. With this novel polyester, DuPont has been able to create numerous new technologies and applications, most notably, Sorona. The biopolymer contains 37 percent annually renewable plant-based ingredients, uses 30 percent less energy and releases 63 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to the production of nylon 6. It is used in residential and commercial carpets, apparel and automotive mats and carpets and offers the highest bio-based content in the synthetic carpet fiber market, as well as durability and stain resistance. It also is available as a thermoplastic polymer that can be used for automotive parts and other products.
John Pieper, who leads DuPont Industrial Biosciences’ corn stover feedstock work stream, which is the supply chain for DuPont’s Iowa-based cellulosic ethanol biorefinery, is also speaking at ABLC. Pieper appeared on a panel on March 1 focused on “The Sustainable Agriculture Imperative,” where he discussed DuPont learnings in the field related to supply chain development for its advanced biofuels plant, the largest in the world with the capacity to produce 30 million gallons per year of cellulosic ethanol.
DuPont Industrial Biosciences works with customers across a wide range of industries to make products and industrial processes more efficient and sustainable. Through a unique combination of agriculture, biotechnology, chemistry and material science capabilities, we advance market-driven, biobased solutions to meet the needs of a growing population, while protecting our environment for future generations.
Posted March 3, 2017
Source: DuPont Industrial Biosciences
