DuPont, ADM open biobased pilot facility in Illinois

DuPont Industrial Biosciences and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) have announced the opening of a biobased furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME) pilot production facility in Decatur, Ill. The goal of the plant is to help bring a greater variety of sustainably sourced biomaterials into the lives of consumers.

Nearly one-tenth of the world’s oil is used to make the plastic products used every day. From shampoo bottles to frozen food containers, fossil-fuel-based plastics are virtually impossible to avoid because of a lack of commercially available alternatives—a significant gap in the marketplace that DuPont and ADM’s new biobased FDME will help address. FDME is a molecule derived from fructose that can be used to create a variety of biobased chemicals and materials, including plastics, that are ultimately more cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable than their fossil fuel-based counterparts.

“We’re confident FDME is both the more sustainable option and the better-for-business option,” said Michael Saltzberg, global business director for Biomaterials at DuPont Industrial Biosciences. “This molecule, and its numerous applications, will be high-performing, cost-effective, and better for the environment. ADM’s expertise in agricultural value chains and the chemistry of carbohydrates makes them the best possible business partner on this initiative. Our goal is to bring this game-changing technology to commercial scale as quickly as possible.”

One of the first FDME-based polymers under development by DuPont is polytrimethylene furandicarboxyate (PTF), a novel polyester also made from DuPont’s proprietary Bio-PDO (1,3-propanediol). PTF is a 100% renewable polymer that, in bottling applications, can be used to create plastic bottles that are lighter-weight, more sustainable, and better performing.

Press release