Evonik launches alternative raw material for PA12

Evonik has started operating a pilot plant for ω-amino lauric acid (ALS) in Slovakia as an alternative raw material for polyamide 12.

The biobased ω-amino-lauric acid is an alternative to petroleum-based laurin lactam (LL). ALS replaces the monomer LL in the manufacture of sustainable high-performance plastics and yields an identical compound polyamide 12 (PA 12). Evonik says the pilot plant is the result of intensive research and advances the process development effort to an industrial scale.

Evonik says the unique biotechnological process relies on renewable resources and uses palm oil as the starting material. The company says the new process has the potential to complement the butadiene-based production of PA12.

With a second conventional, petroleum-based polyamide 12 plant in Singapore in the planning stage, Evonik says it is in a strong position to be a global market and technology leader in PA12 production technology.

"In the long term, this new, alternative raw material makes us less dependent on limited fossil resources and provides our back-integrated production a second pillar to stand on," commented Gregor Hetzke, Head of Evonik’s Performance Polymers Business Unit.