Eighty years after nylon’s first commercial production, clean manufacturing technology company Genomatica says it has produced the world’s first renewably-sourced ton of the key ingredient for nylon-6, made from plants instead of crude oil. Nylon, the first totally synthetic fiber to be made into consumer products including apparel and carpet, is responsible for an estimated 60 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year through traditional production which begins with crude oil, according to the company.
Genomatica, alongside partner and major European nylon producer Aquafil, will reportedly produce 100% renewably-sourced nylon that delivers equivalent performance to conventional nylon, but with lower environmental impact. This bio-based nylon has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a $10 billion global industry that produces over five million tons of nylon-6 per year, according to the company.
“DuPont’s landmark production of nylon eighty years ago introduced a highly versatile staple material to the apparel, textile and engineering product industries,” says Christophe Schilling, CEO of Genomatica. “It’s a terrific material, and now, with the power of biotechnology, we can reinvent where it comes from. This is a major step forward in offering a new, more sustainable future with a better nylon for the full range of industries it serves.”
Genomatica's technology to make a naturally sourced nylon, recently recognized as a special mention in TIME's Best Inventions according to the company, is made possible by fermentation — similar to making beer. The company engineered a microorganism and production process that ferments the sugars found in plants to make the chemical intermediate for nylon-6. This milestone reportedly marks Genomatica’s successful scaling of this process to produce one ton of the intermediate. The chemical is then converted into nylon-6 polymer chips and yarn by Aquafil in Slovenia.
For more information, visit: www.genomatica.com
