DuPont expands portfolio of renewably sourced polymers

DuPont continues its progress in the development and launch of high-performance polymers made with renewable resources, the company said on the eve of the global K-2007 plastics trade fair in Dusseldorf, Germany. The new offerings will contribute to the company’s goals of doubling revenues from non-depletable resources to at least $8 billion by 2015.

According to Dr. Nandan Rao, global technology leader for DuPont Performance Materials, research programs to develop materials based on renewable resources are paying off with new offerings that provide comparable or better performance than the petrochemical-based materials they replace for automotive, electrical, packaging and other markets.

“DuPont is a world leader in the development and manufacture of high performance materials through the use of bio-based technologies and renewable feedstocks. We are committed to collaborating with customers in addressing their most critical sustainability issues,” Rao said.

Chief among the new offerings are DuPont™ Sorona® EP thermoplastic resins, DuPont™ Hytrel® RS thermoplastic elastomers, DuPont™ Biomax® RS packaging resins and DuPont™ Selar® VP breathable films.

A key ingredient in Sorona® EP is Bio-PDO™ which is made at the recently inaugurated DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products facility in Loudon, Tenn. Bio-PDO™ replaces petrochemical based 1,3 propanediol (PDO) and/or 1,4-butanediol (BDO) in the two glass-reinforced grades of Sorona™ EP that will initially be available. Sorona™ EP offers performance advantages compared to polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), including improved dimensional stability and surface appearance. Sampling for targeted development programs is under way with broader availability expected in 2008.

Hytrel® RS incorporates DuPont™ Cerenol™ renewably sourced polyol made with Bio-PDO™, as a replacement for petrochemical polyols. Initial grades of Hytrel® RS will have a renewable content range of 25-50 percent. Hytrel® RS will offer comparable performance to standard grades of Hytrel®. Sampling for targeted development programs is underway with broader availability expected in 2008.

Biomax® RS 1001 is a renewably sourced polytrimethyl terephthalate (PTT) offering aimed at rigid packaging applications such as injection molded containers, caps and consumer items such as media cases where it would replace polypropylene. Initial applications are targeted for cosmetics, food and consumer goods packaging. Biomax® RS 1001 incorporates has a renewable content of 35 percent with Bio-PDO™ as the key ingredient.

Selar® VP is a renewably sourced breathable film, designed for use in applications where foods need to respire, such as fresh fish and produce. It is up to 40 percent renewably sourced with the incorporation of a vegetable based fatty acid. In seafood applications, it provides a tightly sealed package for fresh fish versus open, unsealed polyethylene bags that are commonly used today. In produce applications, it provides a completely sealed packaging alternative to microperforated films.

DuPont – one of the first companies to publicly establish environmental goals 17 years ago – has broadened its sustainability commitments beyond internal footprint reduction to include market-driven targets for both revenue and research and development investment. The goals are tied directly to business growth, specifically to the development of safer and environmentally improved new products for key global markets including automotive, electrical and packaging.

The DuPont Engineering Polymers business manufactures and sells Crastin® PBT and Rynite® PET thermoplastic polyester resins, Delrin® acetal resins, Hytrel® thermoplastic polyester elastomers, DuPont™ ETPV engineering thermoplastic vulcanizates, Minlon® mineral reinforced nylon resins, Thermx® PCT polycyclohexylene dimethyl terephthalate, Tynex® filaments, Vespel® parts and shapes, Zenite® LCP liquid crystal polymers, Zytel® nylon resins and Zytel® HTN high-performance polyamides. These products serve global markets in the aerospace, appliance, automotive, consumer, electrical, electronic, healthcare, industrial, sporting goods and many other diversified industries.