DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products, LLC, an equally owned joint venture of DuPont and Tate & Lyle, announced Monday the first commercial shipments of Bio-PDO (1,3 propanediol) from its facility in Loudon, Tenn.
The $100-million facility, the first one in the world to make this new bio-based product, produces Bio-PDO from corn sugar, a renewable resource, instead of using petroleum-based feedstocks.
The proprietary fermentation process, developed by DuPont and Tate & Lyle, consumes 40 percent less energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent compared to petroleum-based propanediol.
The Loudon plant's production of 100 million pounds of Bio-PDO will save the equivalent of 13.5 million gallons of gasoline annually, or enough to fuel 24,000 cars per year.
Bio-PDO can be used by itself or as an ingredient in materials that have traditionally been based on petroleum feedstocks.
Two new brand names for Bio-PDO have also been announced by the joint venture.
Zemea propanediol will be the name of products introduced in the personal care and liquid detergent categories where the products' purity level and low irritation are benefits.
Susterra propanediol will be the name for products with industrial applications including de-icing fluids, anti-freeze and heat transfer fluids where its low toxicity and biodegradability are useful.