NatureWorks (US) and Avantium (Netherlands), two leaders in the field of sustainable materials, recently announced a development partnership formed to more fully understand the properties and commercial potential of a new generation of polymers made from renewable resources. The partnership is based on Avantium's work in deriving monomers and polymers from non food biomass and on NatureWorks success in developing a wide range of end markets & products for its Ingeo biopolymer (polylactic acid). Avantium calls this class of bio-based polymers Furanics, and the companies believe this new class of products for both biofuels and plastics holds important promise because of the potential efficiencies in production, the wide availability and diversity of sources for biomass, and the versatility and performance of end products.
Initially, NatureWorks will be conducting in-house testing of a selection of Avantium's polymers for a range of applications, such as personal electronics, automotive, fibers and other engineering plastics applications. The testing period is expected to last approximately one year. This collaboration will clear the way for the market introduction of this new generation of bio-based polymers, which may take several years, and which would be complimentary to NatureWorks existing Ingeo portfolio.
10-Jul-09 
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