Michael Saltzberg, PhD, 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, DC.

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, the company reports.

Bioecenomy

One polymer in development using FDME is polytrimethylene furandicarboxylate (PTF), a new form of polyester that will combine the renewably sourced molecule with a DuPont proprietary biomaterial –  Bio-PDO (1,3-propanediol). Being 100% renewable and recyclable, PTF represents a massive sea change for the bioeconomy: it will, for example, significantly improve the gas-barrier properties of bottles, 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 Michael 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

Bio-PDO, a winner of the EPA’s Green Chemistry award, has been produced in the US 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 is said to contain 37% annually renewable plant-based ingredients, use 30% less energy and release 63% 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 is designed to offer the highest bio-based content in the synthetic carpet fibre 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.

Sustainable Agriculture Imperative

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 1 March 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.

www.dupont.com

Further reading

DuPont on rising global demand for eco-efficient materials