Biobased PA 6 enters pre-commercial production phase

Long-time collaborators Aquafil, based in Italy and Californian biotechnology company Genomatica, or ‘Geno’, have successfully completed the first demonstration scale production runs for plant-based PA 6.

The companies first joined forces in January 2020 to produce the world’s first ton of biobased nylon-6 precursor at pilot scale before entering into an agreement in November of that same year to build a demonstration scale facility at Aquafil’s Slovenian site to produce renewably-sourced PA 6. And in May 2022, Aquafil announced a further partnership with Geno to build a demo plant at this AquafilSLO (Ljubljana) facility to test the technical feasibility of producing bio-caprolactam, the most important intermediate for producing PA 6, on a pre-industrial scale, with the start-up scheduled for H1 2022.

“The world needs every possible approach put into action to make supply chains sustainable, and making bio-based nylon an essential piece of that,” said Giulio Bonazzi, Aquafil CEO.

The companies say they have now produced the first several tons of this plant-based caprolactam in Slovenia, converted this to PA 6 polymer, and are now in the process of transforming it for evaluation in nylon applications such as yarns for textile and carpet and engineering plastics.

The material will go to leading global brands and their value chain partners who are eager to explore and develop renewable products, create showcase goods and test feedback with customers.

“Now, more than ever, global brands are taking action to incorporate sustainable materials into their products,” said Christophe Schilling, Geno CEO. “We’re working to build purposeful, traceable and transparent supply chains, in this case for nylon 6, with the goal to provide more sustainable products that consumers demand and material solutions that can help brands achieve their ESG goals.”Genomatica has a proven track record of successfully scaling technology from idea to commercialisation stage for multiple renewably-made products. Biobased PA 6 is Geno’s third major product line on be headed down that path. The company’s strategy has been to enter into partnerships with a range of brands to advance its goal of transitioning the market to more sustainable alternatives. Recent milestones include: a collaboration with lululemon to bring plant-based materials into lululemon’s products, a production milestone with partner Covestro for plant-based HMD used in sustainable coatings, and a partnership with Asahi Kasei and a newly formed venture with Unilever to commercialise and scale plant-based alternatives to feedstocks like palm oil or fossil fuels, to make key ingredients used in everyday cleaning and personal care products.