ZymoChem, a specialty chemicals company, has released a research paper demonstrating that its bio-based and biodegradable superabsorbent polymer (SAP), branded BAYSE™, is the first of its kind to fully match, and in key ways surpass, the absorption performance of conventional petroleum-based materials. Every year, the global hygiene industry uses more than three million metric tons of SAP—the tiny granules that lock moisture away inside diapers, period pads, and incontinence products. Nearly all of it is made from petroleum, and once used, it persists in landfills for centuries.

"The hygiene industry has been waiting for a bio-based SAP that doesn't make compromises. BAYSE is that material. These results confirm that sustainability and performance are no longer in tension: manufacturers can now choose both," said Harshal Chokhawala, PhD, CEO of ZymoChem.

Independent third-party testing shows that BAYSE outperforms conventional materials under compression, absorbs fluid twice as fast as the leading petroleum-based alternative, and for thicker fluids relevant to period and postpartum care, it is up to 3.6 times faster. The material has been validated on an actual industrial diaper manufacturing line, producing infant size 4 diapers across four different absorbent core designs, with every single one passing the test.