In Addition to The Preparation of PBIAT, Isosorbide Has Great Uses

Researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK and Duke University in the US have discovered that a new polymer made from sugar has "extraordinary" strength and toughness, with potential for food-grade applications. The research was published in Angew Chemie.

The study examined two isosorbide- and isomannitol-based polymers produced by a recently disclosed method that uses sugars as a starting point for synthesis. Both polymers have properties superior to conventional thermoplastic elastomers, in addition, they can be degraded and mechanically recycled.

In a key discovery, the researchers found that polymers made from isosorbide exhibited excellent elastic recovery and toughness, which turned out to be the result of the stereochemistry of the sugar groups in the material.

About isosorbide

Isosorbide is a secondary dehydration product of sorbitol and is a new bio-based material. Its raw material sorbitol is abundant in source and cheap, so isosorbide is the only saccharide diol that can be mass-produced in industry.

Isosorbide is known as an important bio-based chemical raw material next to polylactic acid in the future, and is widely used in food, cosmetics, plastics, medicine and other fields. At present, the use of isosorbide as a monomer for the modification of polymers such as polyethers, polyesters, polyurethanes and polycarbonates has become a research hotspot.

At present, isosorbide is mainly produced by catalytic dehydration of sorbitol. Catalysts can be divided into liquid catalysts and solid catalysts, and dehydration methods can be divided into two types: solution dehydration and melt dehydration.

Samyang uses isosorbide to produce PBIAT

On October 7, 2021, South Korea's Samyang Corporation announced that it has started mass production of biodegradable plastic "PBIAT" at its Jeonju plant. The PBIAT produced by Samyang Company is mainly used in the production of disposable bags, and the application scope will be expanded to agricultural mulch in the future.

Samyang said that the company has made breakthroughs in the commercial production of isosorbide and is building an isosorbide plant with an annual capacity of about 10,000 tons at the site of its subsidiary Samyang Innochem.

PBIAT (Poly Butylene Isosorbide Adipate-co-Terephthalate) is an environmentally friendly plastic that uses isosorbide to improve the shortcomings of the existing petroleum-derived biodegradable plastic "PBAT". Compared to PBAT, PBIAT has a lower carbon footprint and naturally decomposes faster in the soil. Also, because it is stronger than PBAT, thinner and tougher products can be made with less raw material than PBAT.