Cargill, a provider of food, agriculture, and risk management products and services, and the German chemicals company HELM announced a joint venture named “Qore” to set up a USD 300 million manufacturing facility to produce QIRA (next-generation 1,4-butanediol [BDO]), a sustainable intermediary material made from plant-based sugars.  The facility will be the first commercial-scale renewable BOD manufacturing facility in the US.

QIRA material can be used to produce spandex, polyester-based chemical fibers, biodegradable plastics, polyurethane coatings, sealants, and artificial leather and is reported to have applications across apparel, automotive, electronics, and packaging industries. Cargill licenses the production process (which involves the fermentation of plant-based sugars) from San Diego-based biotechnology company Genomatica. 

The plant will be built in Cargill’s existing manufacturing facility in Iowa and with plans to be operational by 2024. The facility is expected to initially produce and distribute a minimum of  65,000 metric tons of QIRA per year. 

Cargill entered the sustainable materials space by acquiring NatureWorks Technologies in 2009. NatureWorks produces the proprietary biopolymer “Ingeo,” using starch derived from beets, sugar cane, and cassava. Ingeo is used across applications that include baby wipes, yogurt cups, and coffee capsules.