Corn-based Bio-PDO resin - The next wave in the biological revolution

The leading DuPont chemical group of the United States has joined a joint venture with Tata & Lyle PLC, a multinational agricultural processing group, to build a $ 100 million factory in Loudon, Tennessee. This is the first factory in the United States to produce polymer from corn.

The leader of the joint venture Dupont Tate Lyle BioProducts stands in front of Loudon factory.(Photo: AP)

This plastic can replace or improve petroleum components in all plastic products.'The new polymer product at birth can revolutionize biotechnology, I believe it will change the way we operate vehicles, houses and businesses,' said US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman. speaking during the ceremony to start construction of the factory recently. He calls the collaborative composition between DuPont and Tate & Lyle 'one of the miracles of modern science'.

Loudon factory uses E.coli bacteria to break down sugar (glucose) in corn through fermentation, similar to beer fermentation. The product is a transparent liquid called propanediol (Bio-PDO plastic for short) that can be used in the production of fabrics, cosmetics, washing powders, ski shoes and hulls. Using Bio-PDO, the fabric will have a brighter dye, the carpet has natural anti-fouling properties, face cream makes skin softer .

Brent Erickson, executive vice president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization in Washington, commented that the pioneering production of Bio-PDO by DuPoint and Tate & Lyle marked significant growth, no different from the third wave of The biotech revolution began in medicine 20 years ago, and in agriculture a decade ago.

With the invention of Bio-PDO bio-plastics, four researchers from DuPont, Tate & Lyle and Genencor International were honored by the American Chemical Society 'Hero of Chemistry' .Meanwhile, DuPont thinks Bio-PDO is the most significant invention since the invention of nylon in 1935.

Steven Mirshak, president of DuPont - Tate & Lyle BioProducts, said that in the 1940s, DuPont had created a chemical version of Bio-PDO but the cost of mass production was too expensive. He said that with the new production process applying biotechnology, the price of Bio-PDO will be equivalent to the price of nylon.

The process of producing Bio-PDO from corn sugar is evaluated to be beneficial to the environment, reducing energy consumption by more than 40% and limiting greenhouse gas emissions by about 20% compared to using raw materials. derived from oil.

Loudon plant plans to ship 50,000 tons of products each year and plans to expand production scale as well as open more factories abroad. In the short term, this fall, Mohawk Industries will launch a floor mat using Bio-PDO materials. In addition, many customers also went to knock on Loudon's door, including Toyota.