The winner of the 2015 Bio-based Material of the Year Innovation Award was Bayer MaterialScience (BMS; Leverkusen, Germany), which was recognized for the development of Desmodur Eco, the first biobased polyurethane crosslinker for high-performance automotive coatings. While bio-polyols were already available on the market, a biobased isocyanate was not.

Desmodur Eco N is a new, solvent-free aliphatic polyisocyanate called pentamethylene diisocyanate (PDI). Seventy percent of its carbon content comes from biomass. It is produced using energy-efficient gas-phase technology to ensure minimum impact on the carbon footprint. This product enables the production of biobased polyurethanes for high-performance automotive coatings.

Describing the product as a “near drop-in with upside potential,” BMS plans to launch a new platform based on this technology. Desmodur Eco N will be officially introduced onto the market next week. It will become commercially available in 2016; global capacity will be 20,000 tons in existing facilities—enough, said the company, to satisfy demand for the next five years.

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