[PHNUTR-L] Of possible interest to those working in food allergies: WILL CORN REVOLUTIONIZE THE FIBER INDUSTRY?

[Kathrynne Holden]

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WILL CORN REVOLUTIONIZE THE FIBER INDUSTRY?
http://www.fabrics.net/amycorn.asp

By: Nancy Kelley, President
Textile Fabric Consultants, Inc.

     Imagine instead of eating corn, you are now wearing corn…and not as 
a Halloween costume, but as your favorite career dresswear. This is not 
a corny joke, but NatureWorks PLA, a fiber entirely derived from corn, 
with the final product a "natural plastic". Nature Works PLA is made 
from the dextrose extracted from corn. The dextrose is then fermented to 
produce lactic acid. The water is then removed and converted to fiber 
form. Corn is being used as the dextrose source because of its abundance 
and low cost.

     The fiber is being produced as a joint venture (Cargill Dow 
Polymers LLC) between Cargill, Inc. and The Dow Chemical Company, two of 
the biggest names in agriculture and chemicals. Cargill markets, 
processes and distributes agricultural products on an international 
scale. Dow is a global manufacturer of chemicals, plastics and 
agricultural products. Cargill supplies the lactic acid and Dow brings 
the large-scale polymer manufacturing economics to the joint venture. An 
application for generic fiber classification has been submitted to the 
Federal Trade Commission.

     Fabrics made with NatureWorks PLA offer consumers a unique 
combination of options. These properties have attracted considerable 
attention. The fabrics exhibit the comfort and hand of natural fibers 
such as cotton, silk and wool while having the performance, cost, and 
easy care characteristics of synthetics. PLA fibers demonstrate 
excellent resiliency, outstanding crimp retention and improved wicking 
compared with natural fibers. Fabrics produced from PLA are being 
utilized for their silky feel, drape, durability and moisture properties.

     PLA is not a new polymer. But the recent advances in the 
fermentation of glucose (which is obtained from the corn) had led to a 
dramatic reduction in the manufacturing cost of the lactic acid used to 
make the polymers. For the first time these fibers can be made entirely 
from a renewable resource (corn) while at the same time compete in the 
marketplace in relation to cost and performance.

     "People have know for years that plants hold the potential to meet 
a number of our society needs," says Pat Gruber, Vice President of 
Technology. What we have done is take a basic plant function that has 
been going on for eons and learned how to tap into it to make two of the 
world’s most used items, plastics and fibers. And, we are doing so in an 
environmentally and socially responsible manner."

     Fiber producers, yarn spinners, manufacturers have already been 
working with this fiber. NatureWorks PLA can be used in a wide range of 
woven and non-woven applications, including: clothing, carpets, diapers, 
mattresses, upholstery, interior and outdoor furnishings, filtration and 
geotextile applications. Industrial applications are attributed to its 
UV resistance, reduced flammability, low smoke generation, toxicity and 
soil resistance and stain removal. Several U.S. mills are spinning yarn 
made from NatureWorks PLA including Unifi, Fiber Innovations Technology 
and Parkdale Mills. At the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Japan, Cargill 
sponsored a fashion show of "clothes from the earth" which included 
fabrics made with NatureWorks PLA.

     Most important among its many advantages is that NatureWorks PLA is 
a renewable resource. Nature Works PLA is being touted as an 
eco-efficient and environmentally friendly product. The NatureWorks PLA 
process uses 30-50% less fossil fuel than usually required to produce 
conventional fiber. PLA products can be disposed of by composting. 
According to William Stavropoulos, president and CEO of Dow Chemical 
Company, "What’s exciting about this technology is its breadth of 
applications and the fact that it comes from annually renewable 
resources. NatureWorks offers the opportunity to truly develop 
sustainable products because we are using raw materials that can be 
regenerated year after year and it is cost competitive and 
environmentally responsible."

     Cargill Dow Polymers currently operates a plant near Minneapolis, 
Minnesota. The company is investing $8 million to double capacity this 
year to meet immediate market development needs. Cargill and Dow have 
invested more than $300 million in a new manufacturing facility in 
Blair, Nebraska, which is scheduled to come on stream at the end of 
2001. This new plant will serve global demand until capacity is added in 
Europe and Asia.

     Future plans call for extracting dextrose from other plant sources 
such as sugar beets, wheat, rice and other products containing 
cellulose. Worldwide production is an implication of this renewable 
resource…a boon for farmers here and around the globe. A major new 
market for producers of agriculture crops is created, securing an 
employment base for rural workers.

     "To think that what is grown in a field can now be converted into 
plastic is really quite amazing," says Jim Stoppert, President and CEO 
of Cargill Dow Polymers. "The Nature Works process allows us to tap into 
the natural raw materials contained within plants and creates plastics 
with performance that is equal to or better than those made from 
non-renewable sources."

     Sources:
     http://www.dow.com
     http://www.seedquest.com
     http://textileworld.com
     http://www.ifj.com

Textile Fabric Consultants, Inc. manufactures fabric swatch kits for 
students who study textiles in colleges and universities.  These kits 
are also sold to professionals in the industry.   We also sell to high 
schools, department stores, interior designers and costume designers. 
The kits are designed to help educate people about a variety of fabrics 
and  to be a permanent hands on reference for the user.

-- 
Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD
"Ask the Parkinson Dietitian"  http://www.parkinson.org/
"Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease"
"Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy"
http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/