Lestrem, France -- Roquette has announced that its capacity for the Isosorbide polymer intermediate in Lestrem, France, will reach several thousand tonnes by the beginning of 2011. It made the announcement at the "Bio-Based Chemicals East" congress in Boston, Massachusetts, 13 Sept 2010.
Roquette said it is "consolidating its position as world leader for Isosorbide, a biobased intermediate for new polymers and plasticisers."
Isosorbide is a diol obtained by dehydration of sorbitol, a derivative of glucose, for which Roquette is the leading world producer. The Lestrem-headquartered group said Isosorbide is used to make speciality polymers in the polyester, polycarbonate and polyurethane families.
Roquette claims that, thanks to its rigid structure, isosorbide is the only biobased diol that improves resistance to heat, UV rays and chemicals, and offers excellent optical and mechanical properties on the materials produced.
Roquette said it has been marketing Polysorb P, a high-purity isosorbide for polymer use, for several years. Using its patented technology, Roquette has set up ventures with polymer producers. For example, Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. is developing a new speciality performance polymer including Polysorb P as an essential constituent.
Roquette says its Polysorb ID 37 is a 100-percent biobased isosorbide diester, with excellent plasticising properties for PVC, inks and varnishes. The company received the 2009 Pierre Potier Prize for "Chemistry for Sustainable Development" in France for Polysorb ID 37 which enables elimination of phthalate plasticisers.
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