Japan Dongli Pioneered 100% Polyester Based On Plant Materials

 

The textile industry has attracted worldwide attention for its huge carbon emissions, especially polyester fiber (also known as polyester, English name polyester), which accounts for 80% of the world's chemical fiber output. Its traditional raw materials, terephthalic acid polyester and ethylene glycol polyester, are refined from petroleum.

 

In a statement, Dongli said: "some experts predict that at present, the proven oil reserves will be depleted within 50 years, which means that we need alternative energy sources. Many of the plastics and textiles used in our daily life are oil derived products.

 

Dongli's existing technology can transform molasses from sugar cane processing into ethylene glycol, which is already used in some of the fiber products sold. This technology produces 30% of polyester from raw molasses and 70% from petroleum.

 

In order to develop the world's first 100% polyester fiber material based on plant materials, Dongli cooperated with the US biofuel startups Virent. Virent technology can make sugarcane and corn parts which can not be eaten be biotic terephthalic acid, replacing the remaining 70% of petroleum raw materials. Plant based polyester materials are of the same durability and ease of processing as traditional polyester fibers, and can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, because carbon dioxide produced at the end of the product life cycle is offset by carbon dioxide absorbed during plant growth.

 

Dongli said that some of the polyester materials derived from plants can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 13%, while 100% of plant based polyester materials can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 58%. Dongli and Virent assume that this material will be used for outdoor sportswear, work clothes, automotive interior and other products.

 

According to people familiar with the matter, 100% plant based polyester fibers will be put into production in the next 10 years.

 

Dongli also said: "although this technology is still in its early stage of development, plant based polyester fibers are making rapid progress in the garment industry. Although the cost of plant based polyesters is higher than that of petroleum derived polyesters, with the development of technology, the relative cost of plant based polyesters is steadily decreasing. In addition, with the economic development of emerging countries, the depletion of oil reserves and the increase of energy consumption, oil prices show a long-term upward trend. This means that as time goes on, the cost of plant based polyester will become more competitive. If the trading nations introduce global carbon tax to curb emissions, the cost advantage of plant based polyesters will be more obvious. "

 

Dongli plans to increase its supply of environmentally friendly materials to four times in fiscal year 2013 in fiscal year 2030.

 

 

 

Due to moral considerations, more and more clothing companies are abandoning the use of oil based fibers. For example, Sweden's fast fashion giant H&M said last year that it would switch to sustainable materials by 2030. Fast Retailing, Uniqlo's operator, has also used biological fibers in some products. In January this year, XXX joined the United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the fashion industry by 30% by 2030. So far, more than 90 companies have signed the Charter.

 

"In the US and Europe, business is going to be more and more difficult if we don't use environmentally friendly materials," said the head of a textile trading company in Japan. In the UK alone, the purchase of sustainable clothing increased by 16% to 50 million pounds in 2018, 12.5 times that in 1999, according to Ethical Consumer magazine.

 

About Dongli

 

Dongli (TORAY) Co., Ltd. was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Dongli group is a world-renowned multinational company with the core technology of organic synthesis, polymer chemistry and biochemistry. It has 200 affiliated and related enterprises in 19 countries and regions in the world, and its sales volume exceeds 21 billion 500 million dollars in fiscal 2019 as of March 31, 2019.

 

Dongli (China) Investment Co., Ltd. is an important base for the Dongli group's global strategy. The Dongli group's total investment in China has totaled 2 billion 570 million US dollars, and it has more than 10 enterprises, with a total workforce of about 105 thousand. In addition to the basic fiber and plastic industries, the business sector also integrates new sectors such as water treatment, composite materials, and electronic intelligence materials.

 

In November last year, Dongli announced that it has developed the world's first porous carbon fiber with nanoscale continuous pore structure. Using this fiber as supporting layer can lighten the weight of advanced membrane and make its structure more compact and improve its performance (Note: "advanced membrane" can be used for separating greenhouse gas and hydrogen production).

 

About Virent

 

Virent is located in Madison, Wisconsin, which specializes in converting biomass sugar into an alternative material with the same structure of petroleum as a proprietary catalytic chemical technology. The company has won the World Economic Forum Technical pioneers Award (World Eco). Nomic Forum Technology Pioneer), ICIS Innovation Award (ICIS Innovation Award), Wisconsin observation Award (Wisco) Nsin Companies to Watch Award), red herring 100 strong North America (Red Herring Top 100 North America Award) and the US EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (North).