Biobased 1,3-propanediol (PDO)

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Type of post: Fact sheet.
Series: Biobased chemicals – Alcohols.
Publication date: 08/06/2021. Last update: 08/06/2021.

Description
- Diol with 3 carbon atoms.
- It is a colourless viscous liquid that is miscible with water.


Applications
- Chemical building block in the production of polymers such as polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT).
- Formulation of a variety of industrial products (composites, adhesives, laminates, coatings, moldings, aliphatic polyesters, copolyesters).
- Solvent.
- Antifreeze.

Conventional petrochemical routes
- Hydration of acrolein.
- Hydroformylation of ethylene oxide to 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde / Hydrogenation of 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde.

Main biobased routes
- Direct fermentation of sugars or glycerol.

Actors – Active projects
- DuPont Tate & Lyle BioProducts [Direct fermentation from sugar] (1)
In 2000, DuPont, in association with Genencor, developed a patented process to produce PDO using plant-derived starch in place of petroleum. In 2004, DuPont and Tate & Lyle entered into a joint venture, investing 100 M$ to commercialize PDO and, two years later, they began production at its facility in Loudon (Tennessee, USA). The initial production of the plant was 45 ktons and it was expanded to 61 ktons in 2010. After a new expansion in 2019, the current capacity comes to 77 ktons. Its PDO is commercialize under the brads Susterra and Zemea.
- Metabolic Explorer [Direct fermentation of glycerol] (2,3,4,5)
In 2017, it announced its intention of building a plant to produce PDO (1st stage: 5 ktons, 2nd stage: 15 ktons) and butiric acid (1st stage: 1 kton, 2nd stage: 3 ktons). In 2018, it closed the agreement to finance the construction and established a joint venture with Bpifrance-managed Société de Projets Industriels under the name METEX NØØVISTA. In 2019, Royal DSM and METEX NØØVISTA announced an exclusive global strategic collaboration to deliver cosmetic grade of PDO under the DSM TILAMAR® brand. Mechanical construction of the plant was nearing completion in December 2020. Production scheduled to start in Q2 2021.
- Shenghong Group Holdings [Direct fermentation of glycerol] (6)
In May 2013, this company officially opened a 20 ktons biobased PDO plant. This programme is owned by Suzhou Suzhen Biological Engineer Co., Ltd. (a subsidiary of Shenghong Group) and is based on glycerol fermentation. The second phase with a capacity of 40 ktons was expected to enter operation in 2015. However, there is no updated information about that fact.
- Zhangjiagang Glory Biomaterial [Direct fermentation of glycerol] (7,8)
The company was specially established for a biobased PDO programme by Zhangjiagang Glory Chemical (Glory Chemical) and Softbank China Venture Capital (SBCVC). Glory Chemical was a Chinese partner of DuPont. The contract between companies expired in April 2012 and Glory Biomaterial started the first phase of its own production line of 20 ktons of PDO from glycerol in January 2013. The final planned capacity of the programme was 65 ktons but there is no information available about the current production capacity of the company.
- Other actors (lack of reliable information): Haihang Industry Company (China); Zouping Mingxing Chemical (China).

References
(2) BioRefineries Blog post: “METEX plans to build a PDO/BA production facility”, 22/05/2017.
(4) BioRefineries Blog post: “DSM and METEX NØØVISTA join forces to market bio-PDO”, 23/12/2019.
(5) Metex Explorer News: “Update on the development of METEX NØØVISTA”, 17/12/2020.
(6) “Shenghong Group launches biological PDO and PTT program”. Biomaterials China News, June 2013.
(7) Zhangjiagang Glory Biomaterial website. (8) “Glory Biomaterial’s first phase of biological PDO programme enters pilot production”. Biomaterials China News, February 2013.

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