American athletes soon won’t be just corn fed, but corn clothed too, as
a new $300 million US plant in Nebraska begins to produce thousands of
tonnes of fibre made from maize.
The plant, which was opened earlier this month by a company owned by
Cargill and Dow Chemical, produces polylactide, or PLA, from corn.
The material can be made into many of the products now made from
petrochemical-based plastic, such as nylon, polyethylene, polystyrene
and cellophane.
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It also will compete with natural fibres from wool, cotton and wood.
PLA can be made into cups, wraps and packaging and spun and woven into
clothing and textiles.
PLA is made from the dextrose extracted from corn. It is then fermented
to produce lactic acid that is processed into PLA.
Cargill-Dow LLC trumpets the environmental benefits of the product,
saying materials made from PLA require half the fossil fuel of
conventional plastic. When worn out, they can be composted.
“We are taking the energy that comes from sunlight and are using it as
the basis for products such as packaging, that help prevent food
spoilage, as well as clothing that is more comfortable and durable,”
said Pat Gruber, vice-president and chief technology officer of
Cargill-Dow.
The company has been making small quantities of PLA at a pilot plant
for a few months and the fibre product, called NatureWorks, is already
found in apparel, pillows and carpets.
With the new plant in Blair, Neb., Cargill-Dow will be able to expand
its sales and commercialization efforts, said Andy Shafer, Cargill
Dow’s commercial director for fibres, in a News release
news.
“It proves that we are a world player in terms of technical innovation
and production capabilities. We truly believe the plant’s opening marks
the dawn of a new era for the textile industry.”
The plant is capable of producing more than 140,000 tonnes of
NatureWorks PLA a year and uses up to 40,000 bushels of locally grown
corn a day.
The company said the fabrics have the comfort and feel of natural
fibres such as cotton, silk and wool and the performance, cost, and
easy-care characteristics of synthetics.
It is touted especially for sports clothing because the fibre is said
to have better breathability, the ability to wick away perspiration,
and superior comfort.
Cargill-Dow says it will spend about $250 million over the next few
years on commercial development, product technology development, and
new processes to convert biomass such as corn stalks, wheat straw,
grasses, and other agricultural waste products into PLA.
“We are actively exploring the potential use of renewable energy, like
wind power, to meet our electricity needs and biomass as our process
feedstock,” Gruber said.
