Partners achieve bio-HMDA for nylon 6,6
San Diego-headquartered biobased chemicals firm Genomatica, in collaboration with German polymer producer Covestro, recently announced the joint achievement of a plant-based version of the chemical raw material hexamethylenediamine (HMDA).
Typically made from extractive fossil feedstocks, HMDA is a key ingredient in the manufacturing of nylon 6,6. By contrast, the partners’ new, bio version, suitable for fibre and textile applications, has been created using renewables.
Both parties said that they were the first to have produced the so-called bio-HMDA in significant volumes, adding that their version is “of high purity and quality”.
Already working together to develop a commercial process technology for manufacturing the plant-based chemical, Covestro stated that it had also obtained an option from Genomatica to license the resulting Geno HMD process technology for future commercial production.
The US company’s chief executive, Christophe Schilling, described Covestro as a valued partner that is “leading the way in improving the environmental impact of many of today’s most prevalent materials”, while global head of Covestro’s coatings and adhesives division, Dr Thorsten Dreier, in turn commented that the programme “is of great importance [to Covestro]”.
Dr Dreier continued: “Markets are increasingly asking for more environmentally friendly products based on renewable raw materials, which are just as powerful as their fossil-based alternatives. We can reduce dependence on fossil feedstocks with innovative technology and [our partnership with Genomatica].
“With a purely plant-based HMDA, we can significantly enhance Covestro’s corporate objective of carbon dioxide-neutral production.”
The German organisation’s chief executive, Dr Markus Steilemann, added that the Covestro-Genomatica partnership represents one of his company’s largest instances of external biotechnology research and development to date. Framing the joint programme as complementary to Covestro’s internal circularity objectives, Dr Steilemann said that this investment “underscores both the [biotechnology] field’s importance to Covestro and the results it can deliver”.
Learn more about Genomatica's work in WSA here.
Image by Lettuce Grow on Unsplash.
