DuPont Sorona wins innovation award
DuPont’s bio-based polymer Sorona has been presented with an IDEA Achievement Award, at the International Engineered Fabrics Conference and Expo, IDEA07, in
The first bio-based, renewably sourced polymer from DuPont, Sorona contains 37% renewable materials derived from corn.
DuPont discovered Sorona in the 1940s but did not commercialise it at the time due to the high cost of the key ingredient propanediol (PDO). A seven-year research programme that began in 1993 concluded with the development of a process to make Bio-PDO from corn sugar. In 2004, a joint venture between DuPont and Tate & Lyle was formed to build, manufacture and sell the new renewably sourced monomer, and the first Bio-PDO plant began commercial production in November 2006.
The company was also presented with an award for its Hybrid Membrane Technology, produced using a proprietary new spinning process.
The awards, which were co-sponsored by the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) and Nonwovens Industry magazine, recognise new product and technical developments since in five categories: Roll Goods, Short-Life End Product, Long-Life End Product, Raw Materials and Machinery/Equipment. The winners were selected by industry members.
