Sorona is
DuPont de Nemours, Inc.'s brand of
Triexta, a subclass of
polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) named and commercialized in 2000. The fibers are soft and stain-resistant while exhibiting high strength and stiffness.
Sorona is a co-polymer of
1,3-propanediol (obtained by fermentation) and petroleum-derived
terephthalic acid
Terephthalic acid is an organic compound with formula C6H4(CO2H)2. This white solid is a commodity chemical, used principally as a precursor to the polyester PET, used to make clothing and plastic bottles. Several million tons are produced annuall ...
(TPA) or
dimethyl terephthalate
Dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) is an organic compound with the formula . It is the ester, diester formed from terephthalic acid and methanol. It is a white solid that melts to give a distillable colourless liquid.
Production
Dimethyl terephthalat ...
(DMT).
[ Related polymers in this series include ]polyethylene terephthalate
Polyethylene terephthalate (or poly(ethylene terephthalate), PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in synthetic fibre, fibres for clothing, packaging, conta ...
(2GT) and polybutylene terephthalate
Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) is a thermoplastic engineering polymer that is used as an insulator in the electrical and electronics industries. It is a thermoplastic (semi-)crystalline polymer, and a type of polyester. PBT resists solvents, s ...
(polytetramethylene terephthalate) (4GT).
Sorona can theoretically be produced from about 37% renewable resources as [ DuPont won a 2003 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for their development of the fermentation process for the production of 1,3-propanediol from corn-derived glucose in recombinant ''Escherichia coli'' K-12.
The polymer Sorona has been mentioned by J. Craig Venter in interviews as an example of an application of industrial biotechnology. He was quoted as saying, "DuPont argues that Sorona is going to be the first billion-dollar biotech product other than a pharmaceutical".
]
Uses and Applications
Sorona has been used in the manufacture of clothing
Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...
, residential carpets
A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of Pile (textile), pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fiber, synthetic fibres such as polyprop ...
, automotive fabrics, and plastic parts.
Mohawk Industries is currently the exclusive North American carpet manufacturer making carpets using DuPont Sorona fiber.
References
Synthetic fibers
Bioplastics
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