Wilmington, Delaware
June 4, 2007
DuPont (NYSE: DD) today announced its next polymer family
made with renewable resources - DuPont™
Cerenol™, which is made from 100 percent renewable resources.
This patented new product line joins DuPont™ Sorona® as the
newest polymer family made with corn instead of petroleum.
Cerenol™ enhances the
performance of a diverse portfolio of end-use products that
range from running shoes and ski boots to cosmetics, automotive
components and spandex fiber applications.
DuPont™ Cerenol™ is a family of
renewably sourced, high-performance polyols (polyetherdiols).
Cerenol™ can replace petroleum-based ingredients or finished
products without compromising functionality. It offers
value-added properties and can increase process efficiencies for
a broad range of products in diverse markets including personal
care, functional fluids and high-performance elastomers. Unlike
petroleum-based or other plant-based alternatives, DuPont™
Cerenol™ is easily tailored to meet specific needs and performs
better in many end uses while providing environmental benefits.
"Since customers want
environmentally smart options that do not compromise
performance, we are pleased to now offer both Sorona™ and
Cerenol™ -- two high-performance polymers that are engineered to
meet or exceed the performance of their petroleum-based
counterparts," said DuPont Bio-Based Materials Vice President &
General Manager Peter C. Hemken. DuPont™ Cerenol™ is named from
Ceres, the Roman goddess of
agriculture. The liquid polyol is made using Bio-PDO™ from the
DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products joint venture in Loudon, Tenn.
Cerenol™ is the result of polymerizing Bio-PDO™ with itself.
Compared to existing alternatives such as polytetramethylene
ether glycol (PTMEG), DuPont™ Cerenol™ has a significantly lower
environmental footprint as determined by an ISO 14000-compliant
Life Cycle Analysis, because from cradle to gate it has a 40
percent savings in non-renewable energy and 42 percent reduction
in greenhouse gas emissions. Cerenol™ is being produced at
DuPont operations in the United States and Canada.
Cerenol™ has a diverse portfolio
of uses and benefits. For example, in personal care applications
such as lotions, certain Cerenol™ grades provide a soft
after-feel and reduce the need for certain additives. In some
functional fluids such as heat transfer fluids, Cerenol™ offers
a biodegradable fluid with excellent thermal conductivity.
Cerenol™ is an ideal soft segment for several thermoplastic
elastomers and thus enhances the
performance of these elastomers. As an example, in spandex
fibers it can replace the petrochemical soft segment of the
polymer to provide better stretch recovery and an increase in
the spinning speed of the fiber.
Cerenol™ will be the building block for two other renewably
sourced products from DuPont. First, for new automotive primers
and clearcoats from DuPont Performance Coatings that will be
available in the first quarter of
2008, Cerenol™ provides increased chip resistance and
flexibility. Second, grades of DuPont™ Hytrel® thermoplastic
elastomers made with Cerenol™ will be available in late 2007 and
will offer performance comparable to conventional grades.
DuPont's unique breadth of
biology, chemistry and materials science, ranging from better
seeds to value-added end-use products, has enabled the creation
of DuPont™ Renewably Sourced Materials, where each product
contains a minimum of 20 percent renewable content by weight.
These high-performance products are sourced to a significant
extent from renewable, sustainable agricultural feedstocks,
rather than petroleum. Renewably Sourced Materials from DuPont
help reduce the environmental footprint, promote rural
development and increased markets for farmers around the world,
and help reduce dependence on petrochemicals for everyday
products. For more information about Cerenol™ and other
Renewably Sourced Materials from DuPont, visit
http://www.renewable.dupont.com.
DuPont is a science-based
products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts
science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a
better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating
in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of
innovative products and services for markets including
agriculture and food; building and construction; communications;
and transportation.
The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont(TM), The miracles of science(TM),
Cerenol(TM), Sorona(R) and Hytrel(R) are registered trademarks
or trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates. |
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