Genomatica ramps up production of natural Butylene Glycol
Called Brontide, the company says it has produced over 500 tons of the high-purity, naturally derived Brontide over a five-week production window, and packaged in in thousands of drums, ready for supply.
The company reports that the resulting ingredient is both consistent and high in purity, and is claiming that production purity varied by just 0.8% across the 21 different production lots.
Testing samples have been sent
The company says that the production lots have been well received by its marketing partners - Daicel, Azelis and Viachem – and that more than 250 formulators have already received product samples to evaluate Brontide.
“The Brontide we’re showcasing today will support the product introductions being made by our first wave of customers,” said Damien Perriman, Genomatica’s senior vice president, Specialty Chemicals.
“Genomatica knows how to produce bio-based, renewably-sourced ingredients on a large scale. That means formulators can make more natural products and differentiate themselves, and the personal care industry gains increased supply.”
First shipped to customers in 2017
The company first launched the ingredient in 2017 and first shipments of it were made to customers in that summer, after which it received an ICIS Innovation Award.
What separates Genomatica’s butylene glycol from the competition is the fact that it is produced from plant-based sugars using a safe and sustainable fermentation process.
On the other hand, conventional large-scale production of butylene glycol depends on petroleum-based feedstocks, which significantly impacts the sustainability profile of the ingredient.
Lowering the potential for global warming
Genomatica claims that as a result of its natural fermentation process, its ingredient has a 50% lower global warming potential than its conventionally produced counterparts.
Butylene glycol is a small organic alcohol primarily used by formulators as a solvent and conditioning agent.
As well as being used as a skin conditioning agent, it is also used for fragrance, viscosity regulation, a humectant and for masking certain undesirable formulation properties.
