Wilmington, Delaware -- Piedmont Chemical has launched renewable polyester polyols, which are made using Susterra propanediol from DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products (DTL) with bio-succinic acid from Myriant Corp.
Piedmont claims this combination produces high-purity, 100-percent bio-based polyols, "functionally equal and cost-competitive with petroleum-derived polyols," but without "green-price premiums."
Polyols are building-blocks in the production of urethane foams, coatings, adhesives and sealants.
The novel polyols, made from renewable resources, ultimately enable the production of eco-friendly, sustainable products, according to Piedmont.
Polyol samples will be available by year-end for urethane producers looking to utilize "green polyols" for their end-market applications, the company said, in a 3 Dec press release.
Piedmont quotes a 2012 report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., which forecast the world polyols market as reaching 4.33 billion pounds (1.9 million tonnes) by 2017.
DTL produces Susterra in Loudon, Tennessee, at plant with capacity for 140 million lb a year. The plant has been operational since November 2006. Myriant will begin commercial production of bio-succinic acid in the first quarter of 2013 in Lake Providence, Lousiana, with a capacity of 30 million lbs. per year.
A strategic collaboration between the three companies will see an "open innovation" concept under which polyol formulations will be made available to polyol producers and the urethane industry at large.
This means that polyol customers will be able to purchase polyols produced from DTL's Susterra propanediol and Myriant's Bio-Succinic Acid from Piedmont as well as from other polyol producers. Piedmont will manufacture the initial polyol product samples and will offer commercial supply of the polyol products to the market.
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