Cathay Industrial Biotech, a leader in industrial biotechnology, will start a commercial production of Terryl, a renewable polymer for textiles and polyamide 56 (PA56) for engineering polymer applications in its larger multi-thousand metric ton facility in the first half of 2015. 

“Terryl is a revolutionary polymer offering performance attributes previously unavailable to the fiber markets from synthetic materials. Customer response has been phenomenal,” explained Dr Xiucai Liu, CEO.

Experienced

The company has been providing long-chain diacids (LCDA) to the polymer industry for more than ten years. The successful start-up of the 1.5 pentane diamime (DN5) in 2013 added a diamine to Cathay’s monomer platform.

This new diamine is produced from 100% plant sugars using a patented process developed in Cathay’s Shanghai Research Center.

Targeting textile market

Using Cathay monomers, the company is developing a family of polymers. The first to be launched is Terryl, a polymer targeting the textile market.

It is said to improve skin feel, provide higher moisture absorbance, improved dye absorbance and is composed of 47% renewable carbon.  It is produced in a proprietary continuous-flow process from plant sugars.

The product will be made in Cathay’s Shandong based LCDA fermentation facilities (China), which currently produce carbon 11 to carbon 15 diacids that are distributed worldwide.

Cathay Industrial Biotechnology

Cathay provides technological and commercial leadership in industrial biotechnology. Cathay’s biotech technology platform includes an integrated genetic engineering to commercial construction and development process that has moved it to a leadership position in the production of LCDAs, which are used in nylons, adhesives and corrosion control lubricants.

Cathay’s LCDAs are sold in over 15 countries. With the launch of Terryl PA56 and the new monomer, pentane diamine, Cathay aimed to prove its leading position.

www.cathaybiotech.com