DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products, LLC, an equally owned joint venture of DuPont and Tate & Lyle, yesterday announced the first commercial shipments of Bio-PDO™ from its USD 100 million facility in Loudon, Tenn. The Loudon facility produces 1,3-propanediol (Bio-PDO™) from renewable resources – in this case corn sugar – making it the first facility in the world to manufacture this new bio-based product.
The joint venture uses a proprietary fermentation process developed jointly by DuPont and Tate & Lyle to produce Bio-PDO™ using corn instead of petroleum-based feedstocks. The production of Bio-PDO™ consumes 40 percent less energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent versus petroleum-based propanediol. Production of 100 million pounds of Bio-PDO™ will save the energy equivalent of 10 million gallons of gasoline per year, or enough to fuel 22,000 cars annually.
“Bio-PDO™ is a versatile ingredient for a number of products including specialty polymers such as Sorona®, and also is well suited for cosmetics, liquid detergents and industrial applications like anti-freeze,” said Steven Mirshak, president, DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products. “We are seeing strong demand for all of our grades of Bio-PDO™ due to its performance, biodegradable nature, and ability to replace petroleum-derived products. Wherever a glycol is being used today, businesses should consider replacing it with our new renewable ingredient.”
“The first shipments of Bio-PDO™ from Loudon mark the beginning of the commercial availability of DuPont’s bio-based pipeline, which is designed to deliver high performance, renewably sourced materials,” said Tom Connelly, DuPont executive vice president and chief innovation officer. “The technology that was developed to make the various grades of Bio-PDO™ a reality holds great promise. It is a clear demonstration that this new technology can offer new opportunities for products in every major market segment in our economy.”
“Tate & Lyle scientists have been developing products from renewable resources such as corn, wheat and sugar for over 80 years and Bio-PDO™ is an excellent addition to our industrial ingredient portfolio,” said D. Lynn Grider, president, Tate & Lyle’s U.S. Food & Industrial Ingredients Division. “By continuing to invest in research, and through strategic partnerships, we can help meet the world’s increasing demand for products from renewable resources that match or exceed the functionality of petroleum-based alternatives. Achieving first commercial shipment is a significant milestone for the joint venture and marks the important move from theoretical to practical.”
The first shipments of Bio-PDO™ were sent to DuPont for the manufacture of DuPont™ Sorona® polymer and to a customer evaluating a new industrial product formulated with Bio-PDO™. Bio-PDO™ can be used in a variety of applications, either by itself or as an ingredient in the production of materials that have traditionally been based on petroleum feedstocks.
Posted November 28th, 2006
