Castor-based PA6 for needlepunch

Radici Chemiefaser, formerly Dorix GmbH, has developed a new bio-based staple polyamide fibre suitable for the production of needlepunched nonwoven carpet tiles and similar products.

Dorix PA6.10 has been developed using polyamide 6.10 produced at the Radici Chimica SpA chemical plant in Italy from sebacic acid (64% by weight) and hexamethylenediamine, a chemical intermediate produced under the direct control of the Radici Group.

Sebacic acid is extracted from the seeds of the castor oil plant, which is grown in semi-arid regions of China and India and is therefore not in competition with food crops.

Dorix has been renamed Radici Chemiefaser having been acquired by the Radici Group in 2011. A European leader in the production and sale of PA6 staple fibre products with 2012 sales revenues of about €15 million, its acquisition has enabled the group to expand its presence in synthetic fibres for textile flooring and strengthen the level of vertical integration in its polyamide production chain.

Before the acquisition, the group was already engaged in the production of both raw and solution-dyed PA6 staple fibre at its Italian site. Now the company says its portfolio has a greater variety of counts – from the finest to the coarsest.