DuPont Tate & Lyle – an energy-saving partnership
Corn is a completely ‘renewable’ resource. Turning it into products previously made from petro-chemicals can be good for the environment – and for business.
Corn is a completely ‘renewable’ resource. Turning it into products previously made from petro-chemicals can be good for the environment – and for business.
Our 50:50 joint venture with DuPont in Loudon, US, uses corn sugar to make the multi-purpose monomer propanediol, or PDO – which favourably competes with rivals relying on a petro-chemical process.
“Our Bio-PDO™ is 100 per cent renewable – it has a unique place in the market, because nobody else is making it on a commercial scale with a biological process,” says Pete Castelli, who is Vice President, Law and Compliance, and one of two Tate & Lyle directors on the joint venture’s board. “We have done a ‘life-cycle’ analysis – and our method uses 40 per cent less energy than petro-chemical production.”
The joint venture sells the Bio-PDO™ directly as Zemea™ – used in cosmetics and detergents; and Susterra™ – an agent in de-icers. DuPont also uses it to make the carpet and clothing textile, Sorona®.