Genomatica, Asahi Kasei partner on renewably-sourced nylon
Genomatica and Asahi Kasei announced a strategic partnership to commercialize renewably-sourced nylon 6,6 made from Genomatica’s bio-based hexamethylenediamine (HMD) building block. Asahi Kasei looks to this partnership to support its goal to be first-to-market with a more sustainable nylon 6,6 for the automotive and electronics industries, based on plant-based HMD, and to accelerate the achievement of its corporate sustainability objectives.
HMD is a key component of nylon 6,6 (also known as polyamide 6,6) and multiple other types of nylon, with a global market of 2 MMtpy. Conventional HMD is made starting from fossil fuels, such as crude oil or natural gas. Renewably-sourced HMD made with Genomatica’s technology is derived from renewable feedstocks, such as plant-based sugars, and can improve the sustainability of the many materials made from it.
Building upon Genomatica’s recently-announced breakthrough to successfully produce significant volumes of plant-based HMD, Asahi Kasei intends to apply the GENO HMD process technology to make more sustainable materials for use in products such as high-temperature automotive parts, electronics or yarns to produce airbags. Asahi Kasei will have preferential access to early volumes of renewably-sourced HMD and perform nylon application testing, leveraging Asahi Kasei’s experience developing successful nylon applications. Asahi Kasei anticipates licensing Genomatica’s GENO HMD process technology to commercialize bio-based nylon 6,6.
“Just as the sustainable energy transition is reinventing how we power our lives, we are at the start of a sustainable materials transition that will reinvent the products we use every day and where they come from,” said Christophe Schilling, Genomatica CEO. “Genomatica’s partnership with Asahi Kasei utilizing the GENO HMD process for nylon 6,6 and other specialty nylons marks another important step forward in this transition and leads the way toward more renewably-sourced, bio-based manufacturing plants replacing those utilizing fossil fuels.”
Genomatica develops complete, integrated process and manufacturing plant designs that use biotechnology, fermentation and renewable feedstocks to make widely-used ingredients and materials with lower carbon footprints. Asahi Kasei expects Genomatica’s innovation to help the company reach its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
“Asahi Kasei is proud to be a leader in our industrial technology, incorporating bio-based materials into our products in our drive to become carbon neutral in the coming years,” said Dr. Shigeki Takayama, Chief Technology Officer and Representative Director on the Board of Directors of Asahi Kasei. “Sustainability is a core piece of Asahi Kasei’s strategy and Genomatica’s strong history of commercial success has made them an essential partner in this mission. We anticipate a strong start and look forward to moving to commercial scale together.”
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