DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences and Kemira announce an exclusive partnership for the development and commercialization of DuPont’s enzymatic polymerization-based polysaccharide platform technology for certain applications. The collaboration will bring new, bio-based and inherently biodegradable product lines to Kemira’s strategic markets including paper and board, water treatment and the oil and gas industries.
Under the terms of the partnership, DuPont will provide Kemira with access to its newest material platform technology, which uses enzymatic polymerization to design and produce polysaccharide materials directly from simple sugars. Kemira will provide the application development expertise and the market access required to jointly develop and commercialize the sustainable material offerings globally to Kemira’s strategic markets. The underlying technology for the novel material platform has reportedly been demonstrated at integrated pilot operations and is ready to advance to full commercial scale.
The DuPont enzymatic polymerization material technology applies biotechnology tools to design polysaccharides. This new material innovation allows for enzymatic polymerization of sugar (sucrose) into poly-glucose (polysaccharides) under controlled, enzyme catalyzed polymerization conditions. The approach enables the specific and designed synthesis of polysaccharides as typically found in nature but with high purity, defined structural material properties and particle morphologies.
The enzymatic polymerization-based product portfolio is readily biodegradable and supports recycle or re-pulping of various paper and pulp-based material streams, for example in packaging end uses. For some applications, the biodegradable products avoid the concern of microplastic formation, reducing the impact of uncontrolled environmental material leakage. Within a circular economy, material innovation should deliver on a series of key requirements to offer viable options to meet sustainability goals and contribute to decarbonize the underlying material portfolios. The enzymatic polymerization-based polysaccharide material platform enables positive contributions to these goals by avoiding waste, expanding the scope of recyclable materials and providing biodegradable product options for a range of material applications.
For more information: www.dupontnutritionandbiosciences.com
