13 February 2012
Overview
Ajinomoto Co, Inc. and Toray Industries, Inc.
have entered into an agreement to
begin joint research for manufacturing the
nylon raw material,
1,5-pentanediamine (1,5-PD),
from amino acid lysine produced from plant materials
by Ajinomoto using fermentation technology, and
commercializing a biobased nylon made from this substance.
Biobased Nylon
* Biobased nylon is a type of nylon manufactured by
polymerizing chemicals produced from plant materials.
* The biobased nylon that Ajinomoto and Toray will
research and develop is produced from
plant materials by decarbonating the amino acid lysine
through enzyme reaction to make 1,,5-PD, which
* Toray then polymerizes with dicarboxylic acid.
* The amino acid lysine is a core product from
Ajinomoto Group produced using fermentation technology.
* The biobased nylon fiber made from 1,5-PD is not only
* sustainable because it is plant-based, but also shows
promise for development into hihgly comfortable clothing.
* For example, nylon 56 fiber manufactured from 1,5-PD is pleasing
to the touch, yet has the same strength and heat resistance as
conventional nylon fiber made from petrochemical derivative
hexamethylenediamine. It is also absorbs and desorbs
moisture nearly as well as cotton
sucessful test production
* The two companies have already carried out successful
test production of 1,5-PD using feed-grade lysine
* as well as test production of biobased nylon by
polymerizing 1,5-PD.
* They plan to further expand the scope of collaboration to
include development of production processes and
evaluation of use in textile and plastics applications
Strengths of partners
* The partnership between Ajinomoto,
a leading manufacturer of amino acids, and
* Toray, a leading manufacturer of nylon, will
enable the creation of biobased nylon products
that are competitive in terms of quality, cost and
envirnomental protection.
* Moreover, the companies will deepen their collaboration with
a view toward using the membrane-integrated bioprocess
being developed by Toray in the production technology for
lysine, the raw material for 1,5-PD
Key chemicals of biobased nylon
* Lysine
* 1,5-PD
* Biobased nylon
Key chemical of petroleum-based nylon
* hexamethylenediamine
another name
nylon is polyamide.
Ajinomoto' business development : Biomaterials
* Ajinomoto is working to contribute to solution to
the challenges facing humanity in the 21st century, namely
1. global sustainability
2. food resources
3. human health
* In the bioscience and fine chemicals business,
Ajinomoto is leveraging core Bio-Fine
(Biosciene and Fine Chemicals) technologies to
add biomaterials as a new business area in which
it work toward the realization of
a low-carbon, sustainable, recycling-oriented society.
* To accelarate development of new businesses and products,
Ajinomoto will continue to actively pursue open innovation
through partnerships with other companies and
organizations aroun the world.
