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Article: Bio-based PDO and green chemistry.(CMR Technology Watch)(DuPont's Sorona polyester )(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Chemical Market Reporter
- Article date:
- September 15, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Schnell Publishing Company, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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SORONA, THE NEW DuPont polyester, has finally made it to the market, over 50 years after its discovery. DuPont scientists had early on recognized the polymer's potential--its softness, stretch recovery and dyeability would be valuable in fabrics--but the economies did not work out. That Sorona should finally be commercialized is a testament to the power of industrial biotechnology and a harbinger of the chemical industry's greener future.
PDO (1,3-propanediol, also called 3G) is the key to Sorona's performance. Polyesters are typically synthesized by reacting ethylene glycol with a terephthalate, so that each unit of the polymer backbone is comprised of two ...