Evonik is bringing the trend and style of Dusseldorf's Königsallee into the exhibition halls of the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia: At this year's plastics trade fair, the specialty chemical company is presenting women's fashions! The fascinating part: The elegant garments are made 100 percent of innovative biopolyamide fibers based on Vestamid Terra. The high-tech textile fibers have a lot to offer: maximum wearing comfort and unexcelled performance. They are extremely light, flexible, and breathable. Processed into high-quality fabrics, they have an odor-reducing effect thanks to their lasting natural bacteriostatic characteristics. In addition, they dry quickly and require no ironing. Because of their uniqueness, the innovative high-performance fibers can be processed in all textile applications, including an Italian designer fabric for evening gowns, functional sporting togs, and durable upholstery materials.
High performance from the castor bean plant
The fibers are produced from Vestamid Terra, a biopolyamide that is obtained 100 per cent from the seeds of the castor bean plant. In addition to the environmental advantage, it is above all the sustainability approach of Vestamid Terra that is so convincing. Since castor bean plants can also withstand long periods of drought, they are cultivated in dry areas which are not suitable for any other form of agriculture. The biopolymer from Evonik's Resource Efficiency Segment therefore has no adverse effect on the human food chain. Unlike various other biopolymers that are based on natural products grown on cropland.The product development process profited from Evonik's technical expertise in the area of high-performance plastics as well as the fiber-processing experience of Fulgar, an Italian fiber manufacturer, which markets the biopolyamide fibers under the brand name EVO.
With Vestamid Terra, Evonik offers three variants of biopolyamides, PA 610, PA 1010, and PA 1012, which differ in their profile of properties and close gaps in the previously available range of properties of polyamides. They are long-lasting, durable, and meet the requirements of demanding applications, for example in the automotive, sports, and textile industries. Typical applications of Vestamid Terra products are injection molding, fibers, powders, extrusion, and films.
