In February, LG Chem announced that it had signed a framework agreement with CJ Daiichi Sugar in to establish a joint venture dedicated to the production and sale of environmentally friendly nylon based on biomaterials (PMDA).
PMDA (Pentylenediamine): a feedstock for the production of bio-based nylon through the fermentation of corn, sugar cane and other crops.
As leading companies in the food and biochemical fields, the two parties plan to secure stable commercial competitiveness through the agreement by becoming one of the first domestic companies in Korea to produce a full range of products, from raw materials to products of bio-nylon.
CJ Daiichi Sugar will produce PMDA using microbial precision fermentation technology and the two companies' jointly developed technology, while LG Chem will polymerize it to produce and sell bio-based nylon.
Among the many nylon materials, Nylon 6 and Nylon 66 are the most widely used, accounting for more than 90% of total nylon production. Currently, both nylon materials are derived from non-renewable resources such as petroleum. Bio-based nylon, on the other hand, is made from bio-based materials such as corn and sugar cane, and has the same heat resistance and durability as petroleum-based nylon, making it suitable for use in a wide range of fields such as textiles, automobiles, electronic equipment and medical devices.
Bio-based nylon material refers to the raw materials required for the production of nylon (generally dibasic acid, dibasic amine or cyclic lactam), which are obtained by bioengineering methods using renewable biomass resources, such as glucose, cellulose, and vegetable oils (including castor oil, oleic acid and linoleic acid, etc.). The main synthesis processes are the oil route and the sugar route, which have a very significant carbon reduction effect.
The oil route often uses renewable natural oils and fats such as castor oil, oleic acid, linoleic acid, etc., to prepare nylon monomers through a series of chemical reactions such as ester exchange and high-temperature cracking. The nylon monomers prepared by oil and grease mainly include ω-undecylenic amino acid, sebacic acid, azelaic acid and so on.
Sugar routes are mainly routes that convert renewable saccharides such as glucose, cellulose, starch, etc. into PA monomers by microbial technology or chemical methods. The most mature of these is the glucose route, the basic principle of which is to synthesize PA monomers by fermentation of saccharides using microbial technology. The polysaccharide route is still under development.
The global bio-based nylon market demand is expected to record a CAGR of 29% to expand from 400,000 tons in 2023 to 1.4 million tons by 2028.
