(12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (19) World Intellectual Property Organization International Bureau (43) International Publication Date (10) International Publication Number 23 August 2007 (23.08.2007) PCT WO 2007/095255 A2 (51) International Patent Classification: (71) Applicant (for all designatedStates except US):DUPONT A23B 7/154 (2006.01) TATE & LYLE BIO PRODUCTS COMPANY, LLC [US/US]; 4417 Lancaster Pike, Wilmington, DE 19805 (21) International Application Number: PCT/US2007/003841 (US). (22) International Filing Date: (72) Inventors; and 12 February 2007 (12.02.2007) (75) Inventors/Applicants (for US only): WEHNER, Ann (25) Filing Language: English [US/US]; 1 Pickering Trail, Hockessin, DE 19707 (US). FENYVESI, Gyorgyi [US/US]; 224 Oakwood Road, (26) Publication Language: English Wilmington, DE 19803 (US). MUSKA, Carl, F. [US/US]; (30) Priority Data: 5400 Turkey Point Road, Northeast, MD 21901 (US). 60/772,194 10 February 2006 (10.02.2006) US DESALVO, Joseph, W. [US/US]; 486 South Apple Tree 60/772,193 10 February 2006 (10.02.2006) US Lane, Lafayette Hill, PA (US). JOERGER, Melissa 60/772,120 10 February 2006 (10.02.2006) US [US/US]; 155 Woodland Road, Newark, DE 19702 (US). 60/772,471 10 February 2006 (10.02.2006) US MILLER, Robert [US/US]; 1410 Delaware Avenue, Apt. 60/772,1 11 10 February 2006 (10.02.2006) US Al, Wilmington, DE 19806 (US). PALEFSKY,Irwin, A. 60/772,110 10 February 2006 (10.02.2006) US [US/US]; 600 Harbor Blvd., Weehawken, NJ 07086 (US). 60/772,1 12 10 February 2006 (10.02.2006) US POLADI, Raja, Hari, Prasad [IN/US]; 8 Meghan Lane, 60/846,948 25 September 2006 (25.09.2006) US Bear, DE 19701 (US). 60/853,920 24 October 2006 (24.10.2006) US 60/859,264 15 November 2006 (15.1 1.2006) US (74) Agents: KRIKELIS, Basil, S. et al.; Mccarter & English, 60/872,705 4 December 2006 (04.12.2006) US Lie, 919 N. Market Street, Suite 1800, Wilmington, DE 60/880,824 17 January 2007 (17.01.2007) US 19801 (US). [Continued on next page] (54) Title: BIODEGRADABLE COMPOSITIONS COMPRISINGRENEWABLY-BASED BIODEGRADABLE 1.3-PROPANE- DIOL Net CO Emissions from Product Biodegradation) O 2 (57) Abstract: Disclosed herein are biodegradable compositions comprising 1,3-propanediol, wherein the 1,3-propanediol in said biodegradable composition has a bio-based carbon content of about 1% to 100%. In addition, it is preferred that the 1,3-propanediol be biologically-derived, and wherein upon biodegradation, the biologically-derived 1,3-propanediol contributes no anthropogenic CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. (81) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every ZW), Eurasian (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), kind of national protection available): AE, AG, AL, AM, European (AT,BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, AT,AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BW, BY,BZ, CA, CH, CN, FR, GB, GR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LT, LU, LV,MC, NL, PL, PT, CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, DZ, EC, EE, EG, ES, FI, RO, SE, SI, SK, TR), OAPI (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT, HN, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, GN, GQ, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG). JP, KE, KG, KM, KN, KP, KR, KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LV,LY,MA, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, Published: MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ, OM, PG, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, — without international search report and to be republished RU, SC, SD, SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, SV, SY, TJ, TM, TN, upon receipt of that report TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, ZM, ZW (84) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every For two-letter codes and other abbreviations, refer to the "G uid kind of regional protection available): ARIPO (BW, GH, ance Notes on Codes and Abbreviations" appearing at the beg in GM, KE, LS, MW, MZ, NA, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG, ZM, ning of each regular issue of the PCT Gazette. TITLE BIODEGRADABLE COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING RENEWABLY-BASED, BIODEGRADABLE 1,3-PROPANEDIOL CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [001] The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/772,471, filed February 10, 2006; U.S. Provisional Application IMo. 60/772,194, filed February 10, 2006, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/772,193, filed February 10, 2006, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/772,111, filed February 10, 2006, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/772,120, filed February 10, 2006, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/772,110, filed February 10, 2006, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/772,112, filed February 10, 2006, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/846,948, filed September 25, 2006, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/853,920, filed October 24, 2006, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/859,264, filed November 15, 2006, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/872,705, filed December 4, 2006 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/880,824, filed January 17, 2007, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [002] Disclosed herein are biodegradable compositions comprising 1,3- propanediol wherein the 1,3-propanediol in said biodegradable composition has a bio- based carbon content of about 1% t o 100%. I n addition, it is preferred that the 1,3- propanediol be biologically-derived, and wherein upon biodegradation, the biologically- derived 1,3-propanediol contributes no anthropogenic CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. BACKGROUND O F THE INVENTION [003] Consumers of biodegradable products, such as personal care, cosmetics and detergents, among many others, consider many factors in selecting products for use. Recently certain factors have been a focus of and have driven scientific study and product development. These driving factors include, product safety, environmental impact, the extent to which the components are natural, and the aesthetic quality of the overall product. Therefore, manufacturers have to be concerned with the environmental impact of their products. I n fact, the effort towards environmental impact awareness is a universal concern, recognized by government agencies. The Kyoto Protocol amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) currently signed by 156 nations is one example of a global effort to favor safer environmental manufacturing over cost and efficiency. When applied to biodegradable products, consumers are increasingly selective about the origins of the products they purchase. The 2004 Co-operative Bank's annual Ethical Consumerism Report (www.co- operativebank.co.uk) disclosed a 30.3% increase in consumer spending on ethical retail products (a general classification for environmental safe, organic and fair trade goods) between 2003 and 2004 while total consumer spending during the same period rose only 3.7%. [004] Glycols such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, and 2-methyl-l,3-propanediol are biodegradable compounds useful in compositions ranging from cosmetics and personal care formulations to detergents to heat transfer compositions. While biodegradabllity is an important factor in protecting the environment, biodegradation of glycols derived from fossil -based sources has the unavoidable consequence of releasing previously fixed CO2 into the atmosphere. Thus, while glycols in general are advantageous for their biodegradabllity, the resulting global warming potential of fossil-based glycols during biodegradation is significant. [005] Carbon dioxide is singled out as the largest component of the collection of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The level of atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased 50% in the last two hundred years. Recent reports indicate that the current level of atmospheric carbon dioxide is higher than the peak level in the late Pleistocene, the epoch before modern humans (Siegeπthaler, U. et al. Stable Carbon Cycle-Climate Relationship During the Late Pleistocene, Science, Vol. 310, no. 5752 (Nov. 25, 2005), pp. 1313-1317). Therefore, any further addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere is thought to further shift the effect of greenhouse gases from stabilization of global temperatures to that of heating. Consumers and environmental protection groups alike have identified industrial release of carbon into the atmosphere as the source of carbon causing the greenhouse effect. [006] Greenhouse gas emission can occur at any point during the lifetime of a product. Consumers and environmental groups consider the full lifespan of a product when evaluating a product's environmental impact. Consumers look for products that do not contribute new carbon to the atmosphere considering the environmental impact of production, use and degradation. Only organic products composed of carbon molecules from plant sugars and starches and ultimately atmospheric carbon are considered to not further contribute to the greenhouse effect. [007] I n addition to adding carbon dioxide t o the atmosphere, current methods of industrial production of glycols produce contaminants and waste products that include among them sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, phosphoric acid, oxalic acid tartaric acid, acetic acids, Alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transitional metals and heavy metals, including Iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, silver, molybdenum, tungsten, vanadium, chromium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, rubidium, and platinum (U.S. Patent NOs. 2,434,110, 5,034,134, 5,334,778, and 5,10, 036). [008] Also of concern to consumers of biodegradable products, especially consumers of personal care, cosmetics and detergent products, is an individual's reaction t o such a product. The rate of development of hypersensitivity has markedly increased in the US in the last two decades. Many of these reactions are attributed to trace amount of substances. Other reactions are of idiopathic origin. Consumers seek products that are composed of ingredients of a more purified source and/or of all natural composition.