DuPont developing corn-based plastic

May 03, 2018

The organization recently opened a production facility in Illinois

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Two agribusinesses are working together to develop a recyclable plastic made from corn.

DuPont and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) opened the world’s first furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME) pilot production facility in Decatur, Ill. on Monday.

Transforming corn into plastic takes three steps, said Michael Saltzberg, global business director of biomaterials with DuPont Industrial Biosciences.

Photo: DuPont

“We take the corn starch and make it into fructose,”, he told Farms.com yesterday. “Then, we take the fructose and make it into FDME. Finally, we react the FDME with other (elements) make the plastic.”

Oil is currently a main ingredient in most plastics.

About 4 percent of global oil production is used for plastics, the British Plastics Federation estimates. Some plastics made with oil are unrecyclable.

DuPont’s goal is to offer a fully recyclable product with better performance qualities than oil-based plastic like those used to bottle soda in grocery stores, Saltzberg said.

This venture also provides growers with another market opportunity.

“We’re working with corn starch and that’s the hardest right now for farmers to find a home for,” Saltzberg said. “Everyone wants the oil and the protein, but the corn starch market is a little flat right now. This offers another way to utilize the corn starch and a new way to create markets for farmers.”

gilaxia/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.