Lanxess has run a production campaign of bio-based PBT in its world-scale production plant using 20 metric tons of bio-based BDO made with Genomatica’s commercially-proven process, the companies said June 25. This BDO fully complied with the demanding Lanxess specifications for petro-based BDO, allowing a direct feed of 100 percent bio-based BDO into the continuous production process.
The properties and the quality of the resulting bio-based PBT are fully equivalent to conventional petro-based PBT with regard to all tested parameters, according to Lanxess. The world-scale PBT plant, with a capacity of 80,000 metric tons per year, is located in Hamm-Uentrop, Germany, and operated as a joint venture in which Lanxess has a 50 percent share.
Genomatica’s BDO process technology converts sugars into the major chemical BDO in a patented direct fermentation process.
For more information at www.genomatica.com.