DuPont celebrates 20 years of success

DuPont has announced their 20th anniversary of its first 3G2 line commercial run at the Kinston, North Caroline plant site. This marks the launch of the world’s first 3GT polymer, which is popular by the Sorona® . To celebrate this milestone, the event will be held in honor of  Sorona®’s history and its focus on the future.

Mike Saltzberg, Dupon’s biometrical global business director, stated that they are proud of the role played by Sorona® over the past 20 years in making the textile industry a more sustainable place. He stated that it was exciting to be a part if the industry that put sustainability at the forefront of everything they did.

Leveraging the innovative bio-based monomer Bio-PDO™, in the early 1900s the company utilized it as the base of their polymer. The first step towards developing Sorona® begins by harvesting feedstock and extracting glucose from crops. The proceeding step involves adding proprietary microorganisms to ferment the sugar to obtain Bio-PDO™. TPR(terephthalic acid) is then added to the monomer to create Sorona® polymer. This offers spinners, millers and retailers high-quality product without compromising the performance.

The fibers made out of Sorona® polymer include various apparel applications which include athleisure segment, insulation, swimwear, outerwear, suiting, Faux fur, etc. Sorona® has also proved to be popular in Mohawk SmartStrand carpet that has provided unrivaled softness, durability,  odor and stain resistance it comes with an added feature of beauty and elegance.

37% of the polymer is made out of plant-based renewable ingredients. This revolutionary Bio-PDO™ molecule tuns the petrochemical process into a biological eco-efficient process. Sorona®  has been created with 30% less energy and reducing Greenhouse gas emissions by 63% when compared to the Nylon 6 production. In compression to Nylon6,6, Sorona®  using 30% less energy and released 56% fewer greenhouse gasses.

Harold Thomas, the former plant manager and the leader of the Sorona® team at Kingston, stated that they wouldn’t have reached the achievements without the combined effort of the team, who ensured the quality of the product.

Sorona® was first commercially available in 2000. In 2004, DuPont formed a joint venture with Tate & Lyle PLC to make products from renewable resources like corn. The company produced 1,3 propanediol (PDO), which is the key ingredient for Dupont’s Sonar polymer. The year 2005 marked the partnership between Mohawk and Dupont with the launch of Sorona®. The team from Dupont, Tate & Lyle and Genencor called Heroes of chemistry for the development of the Bio-PDO™ came to existence in 2007. In 2012, DuPont Biomaterials announced new application advancement with DuPont™  Sorona® for the apparel market. They even advanced into the Olympic champion uniforms sector in the year 2016. In 2017, the company secured the Frost & Sullivan Best Practice award for its European Bio-Based materials company for its work with the Sorona® fiber. The company gained popularity in the Paris fashion show for introducing the first bio-based faux fur debuted in Stella McCartney.

The Sorona® polymer has proved to be the company’s breakthrough bio-based, high-performance polymer that offers unique benefits for the apparel industry. It makes it happen through its bio-based solutions for industries by providing packaging for, food, cosmetics, apparel and carpeting.