Genomatica and Asahi Kasei partner on biobased nylon 6,6

In San Diego, Genomatica has announced a partnership with Japan’s Asahi Kasei, which aims to use Genomatica’s GENO HMD process to manufacture biobased hexamethylenediamine for production of nylon 6,6 for automotive and electronics industries. 

The pact comes shortly after Genomatica announced in January that, together with German chemical company Covestro, it had produced “significant” volumes of HMDA using renewable feedstocks. 

Asahi Kasei intends to apply the GENO HMD process technology to make more sustainable materials for products such as high-temperature automotive parts, electronics, and yarns for airbags. 

Under the terms of its agreement with Genomatica, Asahi Kasei will have preferential access to early volumes of renewably-sourced HMDA for nylon application testing. Asahi Kasei anticipates eventually licensing the process technology to help it become carbon neutral by 2050. 

“Sustainability is a core piece of Asahi Kasei’s strategy and Genomatica’s strong history of commercial success has made them an essential partner in this mission,” says Dr. Shigeki Takayama, CTO and representative director on the Board of Directors of Asahi Kasei. “We anticipate a strong start and look forward to moving to commercial scale together.”