Bio-based nylon 6 enters pre-commercial production phase

Long-time collaborators Aquafil Holding SpA, based in Italy, and California biotechnology company Genomatica (Geno) have successfully completed the first demonstration scale production runs for plant-based nylon 6.

The companies first joined forces in January 2020 to produce the world’s first metric ton of bio-based nylon 6 precursor at pilot scale before entering into an agreement in November 2020 to build a demonstration scale facility at Aquafil’s Slovenian site to produce renewably-sourced nylon 6.

In May 2022, Aquafil announced a further partnership with Geno to build a demonstration plant at this AquafilSLO (Ljubljana) facility to test the technical feasibility of producing bio-caprolactam, the most important intermediate for producing nylon 6, on a pre-industrial scale, with the start-up scheduled for the first half of 2022.

“The world needs every possible approach put into action to make supply chains sustainable, and making bio-based nylon an essential piece of that,” Aqufil CEO Giulio Bonazzi said.

The companies say they have now produced the first several tonnes of this plant-based caprolactam in Slovenia, converted this to nylon 6 polymer, and are now in the process of transforming it for evaluation in nylon applications such as yarns for textile and carpet and engineering plastics.

The material will go to leading global brands and their value chain partners who are eager to explore and develop renewable products, create showcase goods and test feedback with customers.

“Now, more than ever, global brands are taking action to incorporate sustainable materials into their products,” Geno CEO Christophe Schilling said. “We’re working to build purposeful, traceable and transparent supply chains, in this case for nylon 6, with the goal to provide more sustainable products that consumers demand and material solutions that can help brands achieve their ESG goals.”

Genomatica has a proven track record of successfully scaling technology from idea to commercialization stage for multiple renewably-made products, he said.

Biobased nylon 6 is Geno’s third major product line on be headed down that path. The company’s strategy has been to enter into partnerships with a range of brands to advance its goal of transitioning the market to more sustainable alternatives. Recent milestones include: a collaboration with Lululemon to bring plant-based materials into Lululemon’s products, a production milestone with partner Covestro for plant-based HMD used in sustainable coatings, and a partnership with Asahi Kasei and a newly formed venture with Unilever to commercialise and scale plant-based alternatives to feedstocks like palm oil or fossil fuels, to make key ingredients used in everyday cleaning and personal care products.