Biobased Polymers

Consumers who are paying close attention will soon notice a change in products they use every day. Some diapers, clothing, athletic shoes, and automobile tires currently made from petroleum will instead be made entirely from plants. Yet the quality and performance of these products will be identical to those made the old-fashioned way. Thanks to many years of work on engineered microbes and new catalysts, the reach of biobased chemicals into consumer items is expanding. A host of biobased intermediates are approaching commercialization, and others are on the horizon. They include raw materials for such common polymers as polyester, spandex, synthetic rubber, and nylon. Biobased polymers are being tackled by start-up firms and industrial giants, and announcements of progress are gaining in frequency and substance. Invista and Genomatica both say they will pursue making nylon intermediates from sugar. A partnership of BASF, Cargill, and Novozymes has selected a method to ...