Sumitomo Chemical has hit a major milestone by production bio-based liquid crystal polymer (LCP) at a manufacturing scale. By the usage of biomanufacturing technology to convert biomass feedstock into monomer, the global supplier is now setting up a mass-manufacturing system and is prepared to begin sharing product samples with customers.
Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) is a high-performance engineering plastic known for its remarkable heat resistance, natural flame retardancy, and superior fluidity. These properties make it a flexible choice for the whole lot from smartphones and automotive parts to office automation equipment. While LCP has traditionally depended on fossil-based raw materials, the industry is increasingly moving toward biomass feedstocks to lower its carbon footprint and support worldwide sustainability goals.
To meet increasing customer demand for sustainable materials, Sumitomo Chemical has advanced its work on bio-based liquid crystal polymer (LCP). Following the creation of mass-manufacturing technology in June 2025 and subsequent scale-up studies, the company confirmed via manufacturing-scale production that it could make LCP using biomass-derived monomers whilst matching the quality of preferred fossil-based LCP.
The production procedure to manufacture the bio-based LCP used by Sumitomo Chemical adopts a segregation strategy, wherein biomass feedstock and non-biomass feedstock are kept wholly separate away from each other during manufacturing. This makes it viable to clearly quantify the amount of biomass feedstock included in the final product.
There is also another strategy, referred to as mass balance, in which biomass feedstock and non-biomass feedstock are integrated together, and the characteristics of the biomass feedstock are allocated to part of the product output in share to the amount of biomass feedstock used. Sumitomo Chemical will determine the characteristics of each strategy to utilize a technique that best meets consumer requirements.
In the green bio field, Sumitomo Chemical is working toward the achievement of a regenerative society via both chemical crop protection products and biorationals. In the red bio field, it’s contributing to human health via pharmaceutical development, CDMO services primarily based on cell culture technologies, and regenerative medicinal and cell therapy. In the white bio and gray bio fields, it’s miles promoting sustainable production via the usage of biomass-derived feedstock with organic synthesis technologies and omics technologies.
