Rhodia and Avantium to jointly develop bio-based polyamides; applications include automotive

27 January 2012

Specialty chemical company Rhodia, member of the Solvay Group, and Avantium, which spun off from Shell in 2000 to develop furan-based biofuels and biomaterials (earlier post), have entered into a partnership to jointly develop a range of new bio-based polyamides targeting a variety of applications.

This partnership expands and completes the previously announced development agreement in the field of bio-based engineering plastics between Solvay and Avantium. (Earlier post.)

In the frame of this joint development, the companies will explore the market potential of polyamide compositions on the basis of YXY building blocks. Produced from renewable and bio-based feedstock, these compositions are expected to exhibit superior environmental profile and at the same time to deliver applicative performances at a competitive cost.

Rhodia will test these new polyamides for fibers and engineering applications in various areas such as consumer goods, automotive and electronic materials. Rhodia and Avantium have entered into a multi-year, exclusive collaboration towards commercialization of these new polyamides.

YXY (pronounced icksy) is Avantium’s brand name of a family of green building blocks for making materials and fuels that can compete on both price and performance with oil-based alternatives, and which have a superior environmental footprint. Based on Avantium’s patented catalytic technology to convert biomass into furanic building blocks, YXY can be implemented in existing chemical production assets.