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 tonnes are produced an ...

(TPA) or

dimethyl terephthalate Dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) is an organic compound with the formula C6H4(COOCH3)2. It is the diester formed from terephthalic acid and methanol. It is a white solid that melts to give a distillable colourless liquid.Richard J. Sheehan "Terepht ...

(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 fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and food ...

(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 solven ...

(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 John Craig Venter (born October 14, 1946) is an American biotechnologist and businessman. He is known for leading one of the first draft sequences of the human genome and assembled the first team to transfect a cell with a synthetic chromosome. ...

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, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natura ...

, residential carpets, automotive fabrics, and plastic parts.

Mohawk Industries Mohawk Industries is an American flooring manufacturer based in Calhoun, Georgia, United States. Mohawk produces floor covering products for residential and commercial applications in North America and residential applications in Europe. The com ...

is currently the exclusive North American carpet manufacturer making carpets using DuPont Sorona fiber.

References

Synthetic fibers Bioplastics {{Polymer-stub