Cargill Dow

Cargill Dow LLC, P LA Polymers—Injection Molding Process Guide, 1999. http // www.cdpoly.com. 

Carboxylic Acids Obtained by Fermentation of Carbohydrates Lactic (2-hydroxy-propionic) acid obtained by fermentation of glucose and polysaccharides is used by NatureWorks (Cargill/Dow LLC) to prepare polylactide (PLA), a biodegradable or recyclable polymer with a potential production of 140000 t a-1 (Scheme 3.4) [23], This and other potential useful reactions from lactic acid have been reviewed by Datta and Henry [24],... 

UK supermarket chains Co-op, Kwik Save and Somerfield use degradable carrier bags. In Italy, the large supermarket chain IPER is using Cargill Dow s NatureWorks-brand resin in film to wrap fresh food and pasta at its 21 locations. 

Cargill Dow has some commercial applications in Europe and Asia. A major market has been blister packaging used to wrap such products as Sony Walkman radios and digital versatile discs (DVDs). 

Much has been written about Cargill Dow LLC s polylactide (PLA) polymer, also known as NatureWorks PLA. PLA is a thermoplastic produced from biomass sugars by fermentation. The fermentation product, lactic acid, is converted into a lactide that is purified and polymerized using a special ring-opening process (18). 

In April 2002, Cargill Dow started up its first large-scale PLA plant in Blair, NE. The plant has a capacity of 140,000 metric t, and demand for NatureWorks PLA has been so strong that construction of a second plant is likely to begin within a few years (19). Cargill Dow projects a possible market of 3.6 million metric t by 2020 (20). 

Cargill Dow LLC. "Cargill Dow LLC Products," Website http //www.cargilldow. com/corporate/product.asp. (accessed October 16, 2003). 

Cargill Dow LLC. (2000), "Cargill Dow LLC Commercialization Efforts in Full Swing," press release, June 19, 2000, Website http //www.cargilldow.com. 

Cargill Dow, LLC Coors Brewing Company Com Refiners Association (CRA)... 

Composting of PLA cup over 47 days. Photos courtesy of Cargill-Dow, Inc... 

PLA is a biodegradable plastic. The first worldwide production facility for PLA opened by Cargill Dow LLC joint venture occurred at the end... 

In 2005, Husky working alongside BIOTA Brands of America, blow moulding equipment supplier SIG Corpoplast and Cargill Dow, which supplied its NatureWorks PLA material, introduced the first biodegradable water bottle onto the US market. Husky supplied BIOTA with the 24-cavity HyPET 120 injection moulding system. 

NatureWorks LLC is the new name of Cargill Dow LLC. The company was renamed after its product, the PLA-based biologically degradable polymer, following the Dow Chemical Company s sale of its 50% stake to agricultural company Cargill, its former joint venture partner, in 2005. 

Cargill Dow Polymers LLC started up its first commercial-scale plant for polylactic acid (PLA) at Blair, Nebraska, in the US in 2002. The unit has planned capacity to produce 136,000 tonnes per annum. Until then, the pilot production capacity for PLA was only 4,000 tonnes per annum. 

In early 2004, Cargill Dow, as the company was then known, refocused market development on food packaging and textiles. Pricing was reduced from an original level of 1.0 per lb to 0.85 per lb or lower, making PLA more competitive with materials such as PET. Sales rose 60% during the first nine months of 2004 compared to the same period a year earlier and the number of customers during the same period doubled. 

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