SBIR Phase II: Development of Low-Cost, Biodegradable Substitutes for Disposable Plastics

这个小型企业创新研究第二阶段项目将使用现成的植物蛋白和创新的环保工艺来开发包装产品等生物塑料原型。由此产生的配方和每个原型的生产工艺将满足大型制造公司和消费者的需求，他们寻求基于生物的和可生物降解的产品。原型的设计将满足生产要求、产品特性和成本，与现有的石油基塑料竞争。第二阶段的目标是从第一阶段开始改进配方和工艺，为我们的潜在客户生产可接受的原型，特别是在包装行业。每种产品的特定配方和工艺的结果将使研发绿色材料公司能够在第三阶段开发可扩展的中试工艺来生产生物基产品，并表明我们的工业合作伙伴可以实现经济实施。该项目将产生独特的工艺和技术，以生产功能等同于不可生物降解的石油基塑料的生物基塑料产品。研发绿色材料将通过利用植物材料的技术，开发环境友好、成本效益高的塑料产品替代品，这些材料从制造到处置都保持无毒。结果将允许工业合作伙伴自由使用生物基塑料产品，而不会出现目前的高成本和工艺和/或产品的不适当特性的问题。随着生物基塑料的广泛使用，塑料污染的总体环境效益和减少可能会通过减少接触致癌物和内分泌干扰物而对人类健康产生积极影响。与合成聚合物相比，第二阶段原型中使用的独特的生物基聚合物可以减少对环境的影响，最大限度地减少污染，节约资源。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will use readily available plant protein and innovative, environmentally friendly processes to develop bio-based plastic prototypes such as packaging products. The resulting formulation and production processes for each prototype will meet the needs of large manufacturing companies and consumers who seek biobased and biodegradable products. The prototypes will be designed to meet production requirements, product characteristics and costs that compete with incumbent petroleum-based plastics. Phase II goals are to refine the formulations and processes from Phase I to produce acceptable prototypes for our potential customers, particularly in the packaging industry. The results of a defined formulation and process for each product will enable R&D Green Materials to develop, in Phase III, a scalable pilot process to produce the bio-based products and show that economic implementation can be achieved by our industrial partners.The project will result in unique processes and technologies to produce biobased, biodegradable plastic products that are functionally equivalent to nonbiodegradable petroleum-based plastics. R&D Green Materials will develop environmentally friendly, cost-effective alternatives to plastic products through technologies that utilize plant-based materials that remain non-toxic from manufacture to disposal. The results will allow industrial partners the freedom to utilize bio-based plastic products without the current problems of high cost and inappropriate characteristics of the process and/or product. As use of the biobased plastics becomes widespread, the general environmental benefits and reduction of plastic pollution is likely to exert a positive effect on human health through reduced exposure to carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. Compared with synthetic polymers, the unique biobased polymers used in the Phase II prototypes can reduce environmental impact, minimize pollution, and conserve resources.