The Surprising Origins of Nylon: Coal, Air & Water

When DuPont unveiled nylon stockings in 1940, they marketed them as a miracle: a fabric made from "coal, air, and water." It sounded almost alchemical—turning black rocks and thin air into sheer, silky hosiery. And it was true. Early nylon production did use coal as a primary carbon source, combined with petroleum, to create the world's first fully synthetic fiber.

But that was 85 years ago. Today's nylon? It's basically liquid dinosaurs.

The Original Recipe: Coal Chemistry

In the 1930s, chemist Wallace Carothers and his team at DuPont were experimenting with polyamides—long chains of molecules linked by amide bonds. They needed carbon-based chemicals, and coal was plentiful and cheap. By heating coal and extracting benzene, then processing it through multiple chemical reactions, they could produce the building blocks for nylon: adipic acid and hexamethylene diamine.

The "air and water" part wasn't just marketing fluff. Nitrogen from air and hydrogen from water were genuinely part of the chemical synthesis. It was an impressive feat of industrial chemistry, and DuPont knew it made great advertising copy.

Why Petroleum Took Over

As the 20th century progressed, petroleum became the dominant source for nylon production. Why?

• Economics: Oil refining yields ready-made chemical precursors more efficiently than coal processing
• Purity: Petroleum-derived chemicals require less cleanup and fewer processing steps
• Infrastructure: The petrochemical industry exploded post-WWII, making oil-based synthesis the obvious choice
• Consistency: Petroleum provides more uniform starting materials than variable coal sources

By the 1960s, most nylon factories had switched to petroleum as their primary carbon source. Today, caprolactam (for Nylon 6) and petroleum-derived adipic acid (for Nylon 6,6) dominate global production.

The Modern Process

Current nylon manufacturing starts with crude oil. Refineries crack petroleum into smaller molecules, which chemical plants then transform into monomers—the Lego blocks of polymer chemistry. These monomers undergo polymerization, linking together into long chains that can be melted, extruded into fibers, and woven into everything from parachutes to yoga pants.

Coal hasn't completely disappeared from the picture—some Chinese facilities still use coal-derived chemicals—but it's a tiny fraction of global production. The nylon in your carpet, your toothbrush, and your windbreaker? Almost certainly petroleum-based.

The Environmental Plot Twist

Here's the irony: the chemical industry is now trying to get away from petroleum. Scientists are developing bio-based nylon from castor oil, agricultural waste, and even algae. Some brands already sell "plant-based" nylon made from renewable sources.

We've gone full circle. Coal to petroleum to... plants. Maybe one day, nylon really will be made from air and water again—just with a solar panel attached.