According to IFF, the sustainable polymers made from plant sugars on its DEB technology platform will be produced on an industrial scale for the first time to meet the needs of various markets
Kemira's headquarters in, Helsinki, Finland. (Credit: J-P Kärnä from Wikimedia Commons)
International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) and Finnish chemical firm Kemira have expanded their partnership to commercialise a range of newly designed high-performance renewable enzymatic biopolymers.
The polymers have been derived from US-based IFF’s advanced Designed Enzymatic Biomaterials (DEB) technology platform.
The advanced biotechnology process allows the production of new renewable polymers with enzymatic polymerisation.
According to IFF, the sustainable polymers made from plant sugars will be produced on an industrial scale for the first time to meet the needs of various markets.
It will be manufactured at the new biomanufacturing plant which is expected to be operational in mid-2024.
The plant will later be incorporated into existing biorefinery in Finland and will be operated by Chemigate, a member of the Berner Group in Finland via a contract manufacturing deal.
The IFF-Kemira partnership responds to Kemira’s increasing need for substitutes for conventional synthetic polymers derived from fossil fuels in the pulp, paper, and paper-based packaging industries.
It will also help meet the demand in the industrial and municipal water treatment sectors.
The latest expanded partnership follows application development programme advancements of Finland-based Kemira, especially in the areas of strength, dewatering, and barrier applications.
IFF venture director Christian Lenges said: “We are proud to leverage our bioscience knowledge to develop the DEB technology platform, allowing us to provide the first commercial quantities for our partners and customers.”
IFF introduced its DEB technology earlier in 2023 to target the home and personal care sectors.
The latest expansion of the use of the technology is expected to grant the company’s customers access to new product lines of material solutions that support a circular bioeconomy at a scale large enough for industrial usage.
In addition, this will allow IFF to assist strategic application development activities at scale and commercially supply lead clients.
Kemira growth accelerator senior vice president Sampo Lahtinen said: “This cutting-edge biotechnology platform enables the production of renewable polymers, which combine high performance with significant improvements in the sustainability profile, including end-of-life properties such as recyclability and biodegradability.”