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Established 100% bio-based nylon 6,6 manufacturing technology
PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited (hereinafter referred to as "GC") and Toray Industries, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as "Toray"), has established a first-of-a-kind series of manufacturing technologies for bio-based adipic acid through the fermentation of bio-muconic acid using starch residues and 100% bio-based nylon 6,6 using it.
As there is a global demand to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce dependence on fossil resources, the chemical industry is attracting attention to the effective use of renewable resources such as biomass raw materials that do not compete with food. Cassava pulp is a residue discharged in the process of producing starch from cassava, which is grown in large quantities for food applications, and is a raw material that can be expected to be stably supplied. By utilizing such unused resources, it is less likely to lead to new farmland expansion, which will lead to a reduction in the risk of indirect land use change (ILUC). To this end, the development of technology is also important to leverage unused resources converting to valued products.
The following is an overview of the demonstration tests conducted by the two companies along a series of manufacturing processes in establishing this technology.
| Engineering | Body | Implementation details and points |
|---|---|---|
| Saccharification | Toray | We have demonstrated the production of 5 dry-tons of glucose sugar per day using 66 tons of starch residue (cassava pulp) with approximately 85% moisture as raw materials. Energy-saving and high-quality saccharification technology using separation membranes. |
| Fermentation | GC | We can stably produce a fermented broth of bio-muconic acid with high efficiency from sugars made from GC's proprietary strain. This showed the successful validation of technology from lab through to pilot scale fermenter (approx. 50 m³). |
| Refinement | Collaboration between the two companies | High-purity bio-muconic acid is refined from the fermentation broth using the unique technology developed by both companies The high quality of refined bio-muconic acid can convert to bio-based adipic acid. |
| Chemical Conversion | Toray | Bio-based adipic acid is produced from bio-muconic acid. Ensuring the high purity quality required for Nylon 6,6 polymerization. |
| Polymerization and fibrosis | Toray | Successful polymerization and fiber processing of nylon 6,6 on a lab scale using bio-based adipic acid and bio-based hexamethylenediamine (HMDA). |
In the future, we will work to scale up in the production of bio-muconic acid and bio-based adipic acid, and Toray will continue to build a supply chain with the goal of starting sales of textile products using 100% bio-based nylon 6,6 by FY2028.
GC and Toray will continue to work closely together to actively work towards the realization of a recycling-oriented society through the development and dissemination of materials derived from biomass resources.
Figure: Flow from cassava pulp (starch residue) to nylon 6,6 product
Read More: https://www.pttgcgroup.com/en/newsroom/news/1405/
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