This partnership is reportedly designed to strengthen Solvay\u2019s position in biotechnology as part of the Renewable Materials and Biotechnology growth platform, which aims to increase the share of renewable carbon in Solvay\u2019s product offering and develop new business opportunities enabled by biotechnology. This growth platform complements the company\u2019s activities in three other key areas: battery materials, green hydrogen and thermoplastic composites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The press release did not really indicate specific chemicals and products that the companies will initially focus on, but I have been following Solvay\u2019s renewable products portfolio for a long time that could be of interest when it comes to using synthetic biology tools (remember Solvay\u2019s JV with Granbio on bio-based n-butanol in Brazil?). Solvay\u2019s Rhovanil\u00ae Natural vanillin range is already using ferulic acid derived from an organic product found in rice bran; its AgRHO\u00ae<\/sup> S-BoostTM<\/sup> seed coating is reportedly derived from a plant extract chemically modified for biological stimulation; and its natural guar-based polymers Jaguar\u00ae<\/strong><\/sup> are currently being used in cosmetic applications. I\u2019ve also been closely following its bio-based solvent Augeo\u00ae, which is derived from glycerine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One interesting product in its portfolio is its Amodel\u00ae Bios partially bio-sourced long-chain PPA (polyphthalamide). PPA is a semi-crystalline, aromatic polyamide that is said to be stronger, stiffer, less sensitive to moisture and has higher thermal capabilities compared to nylon 6. The substitution of aliphatic diacids with aromatic diacids, such as the combination of terephthalic acid and isophthalic acid in the polymer backbone, increases the melting point, glass transition temperature, chemical resistance and stiffness of PPA polymers. Guess who is working on these types of aromatic diacids using renewable feedstock? If you guess companies such as Origin Materials, Virent, Anellotech, BioBTX, Relement, Avantium, Stora Enso, etc., then yes, you are going in the right direction. Solvay currently has a collaboration with Origin Materials on the use of \u2018carbon negative building blocks derived from wood residues\u2019 in the manufacture of specialty polyamides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the way, Solvay also produces polyamides (or what we call nylon) using castor oil-derived sebacic acid under its Kalix\u00ae 2000 series of HPPA (high-performance polyamide) products. A new product that is also of interest to me is its Bio Amni\u00ae partially bio-based functional 5.6 polyamide yarn for clothes and shoes. PA56 is a relatively new polyamide, and there are quite a few polyamide producers working on this chain. I\u2019ve been covering this market for quite some time in Tecnon OrbiChem\u2019s Bio-Materials<\/a> monthly report. Some of the diacids and diamines used in the manufacture of bio-based polyamides can be produced using fermentation-based processes (such as sebacic acid, adipic acid, hexamethylene diamine and pentanediamine).<\/p>\n\n\n\n By loading the video, you agree to YouTube’s privacy policy.![\"YouTube\"](\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/borlabs-cookie\/assets\/images\/cb-no-thumbnail.png\")
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