Nylon 6/6 producer Invista and LanzaTech are developing bio-based routes to produce one of the raw materials for the engineering resin.
Invista said the partners have developed a range of metabolic techniques to make butadiene, an intermediate chemical that Invista uses to make adiponitrile, a key precursor to nylon 6/6. The companies use detailed knowledge about a bacterium's makeup to coax it to produce butanediol in gas fermentation of waste products such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
Invista and LanzaTech say they aim to commercialize the technology within several years. The process using genetically tweaked bacteria could be an economic and sustainable source of nylon precursors that doesn't rely on petrochemicals made from oil and gas.
“By utilizing waste carbon resources, we are decoupling the production of butadiene from today's commodity feedstocks,” explains LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren.
LanzaTech was founded in New Zealand to displace fossil fuel resources with waste carbon streams. Invista is headquartered in Wichita, Kan.
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