Polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), is a polyester synthesized and patented in 1941. It is produced by a method called condensation polymerization or transesterification. The two monomer units used in producing this polymer are: 1,3-propanediol and terephthalic acid or dimethyl terephthalate. Similar to polyethylene terephthalate, the PTT is used to make carpet fibers.
PTT’s value as a commercial polymer has improved due to more economical and efficient methods to produce 1,3-propanediol in the 1980s by Degussa, via acrolein, and Shell via the hydroformylation of ethylene oxide. DuPont has successfully commercialized the production of this polymer via 1,3-propanediol obtained by fermentation. These developments may allow PTT to effectively compete against PBT and PET, two polyesters that have been far more successful than PTT to date.
