#Recycling / Circular Economy

2025-02-13

INVISTA secures new patents for innovative Nylon 6,6 recycling process

INVISTA, a global leader in the manufacture of chemical intermediates, polymers and fibers for the nylon and polypropylene value chains, today announced the company was granted a patent for a nylon recycling process that could improve nylon 6,6 manufacturing by making more high-quality post-industrial recycling (PIR) feedstock available.

INVISTA has also submitted a second patent application for a process that enables the use of up to 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content in the production of new nylon 6,6 components. This innovation aims to enhance the polymer's viability for future applications.

The patent and patent application align with the company’s Stewardship Framework and build on INVISTA’s commitment to using fewer resources. Both patent and patent application technologies are designed to help producers and recycling companies expand their production capabilities, with the goal of optimizing resource management and offer enhanced recycling capability for nylon 6,6.

“INVISTA is committed to innovation and creating long-term value for our customers,” said Jerry Grunewald, vice president of research and development for INVISTA. “As our customers continue to prioritize environmental responsibility and reducing product carbon footprint, we want to be a preferred partner in the development of technologies that help our customers meet their goals.”

Alongside its internal efforts to advance nylon 6,6 recycling technologies, INVISTA’s research and development team is supporting external technology leaders and innovative startups that are working on their own solutions for nylon 6,6 depolymerization. These companies are utilizing INVISTA's extensive expertise in nylon 6,6 chemical intermediates and polymerization to accelerate and evaluate their technologies. Additionally, INVISTA is actively seeking collaborations with other companies that are developing their own nylon 6,6 depolymerization solutions.

“The patent and patent application, along with the work we are doing with our external partners, demonstrate our commitment to invest in emerging technologies that will support nylon 6,6 into the future. INVISTA is well positioned to both work with third parties and within our own internal capabilities to drive these advancements,” added Grunewald.

About the patents

The first patent family, which was granted in the U.S., China and Europe last fall, covers a method to recycle high relative viscosity nylon. This process enables the broader use of mechanically recycled high relative viscosity (RV) nylon 6,6 feedstock, which historically has been unsuitable in key downstream applications. INVISTA wants to work with companies in the nylon 6,6 value chain that are interested in implementing this technology.

The second patent application describes an ammonolysis process to convert a nylon 6,6 or nylon 6 blended post-consumer recycle feed stream back to hexamethylene diamine and caprolactam, the monomers required for making nylon 6,6 and nylon 6. While early in development, this chemical recycling technology is predicted to have high yields and produce monomers with virgin-equivalent properties based on initial R&D test results with virgin-equivalent properties. Improving the economic viability of chemical recycling processes is a crucial step toward unlocking the future of nylon 6,6 PCR feedstocks.

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