Doris de Guzman has been covering the oleochemicals – natural fats and oils-based chemicals – market for more than 12 years and spread her beat to inorganics and biofuels. She previously covered specialty chemicals industries such as cosmetics, personal care, household/consumer care products, food & beverages, industrial specialties, nanotechnology, nutrition/supplements, and other niche chemical markets.

This blog post originally appeared on the Green Chemicals Blog on April 23, 2014.

Verdezyne, Inc., a privately-held industrial biotechnology company focused on producing renewable chemicals, announced that it has produced more than one metric ton of bio-based dodecanedioic acid (DDDA) using its proprietary yeast platform and downstream process.

The Michigan Biotechnology Institute (MBI) and the Michigan State University (MSU) Bioeconomy Institute (BEI) worked with Verdezyne to run the bio-based DDDA process at the 4,000-liter scale. This production confirmed the scalability of Verdezyne’s process and produced polymer-grade material for potential customers and partners.

Dodecanedioic acid is a 12-carbon dicarboxylic acid used to make nylon 6,12, molding resins, lubricants, adhesives, and powder coatings, as well as end products such as fishing line, toothbrush bristles and fuel lines. It is traditionally produced from petroleum-based butadiene via a multi-step chemical process.

Michigan Biotechnology Institute (MBI) running Verdezyne’s DDDA fermentation. President Barack Obama, center, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, second from left, listen during a tour of MBI in Lansing, Mich., Friday, Feb. 7, 2014.

Major producers of DDDA include Invista, Cathay Industrial Biotech, Evonik, and Ube. More analysis of the DDDA market on Tecnon OrbiChem’s Bio-Materials & Intermediates April issue.