The use of seaweed spent biomass to catalyse Industrial up-scaling of PHA and PGGA, a circular biorefinery approach.

FlexSea与英国工艺创新中心（CPI）合作，优化和扩大两种创新生物材料的生物合成。聚-γ-谷氨酸和聚（羟基链烷酸酯）是两类生物衍生的生物聚合物，可以显著取代合成替代品。FlexSea致力于满足家庭可堆肥、生物基替代产品的需求，以取代传统塑料，该项目旨在应对这一重大的工业挑战。由于FlexSea的创新发酵技术，我们现在可以使用废藻类部分（FlexSea透明薄膜浇铸技术的副产品-使用20%-40%的海藻部分）可重复地合成这些材料。在该项目期间，我们的目标是进一步优化生物聚合物的产量和特性，并与工业合作伙伴联系，评估其在许多应用中的特性。在该项目期间，这些材料的生物合成将从250 mL扩大到4 L到1500 L。FlexSea的一个月项目旨在为这项技术申请专利，并利用合成的材料与几个行业合作伙伴进行商业试验。此外，该联合体将提供全面的技术经济和生命周期评估，以进一步实现该技术的商业化。通过以生物精炼方法生产三种一次性塑料替代品（水胶体膜; PHA，PGGA），我们的目标是将海藻作为可持续生物基原料的可持续（无浪费）和经济优势（降低原材料成本;额外收入来源）规模化和商业化。

FlexSea has teamed up with the UK Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) to optimise and up-scale the biosynthesis of two innovative biomaterials. Poly-gamma glutamic acid and Poly(hydroxyalkanoates) are two classes of biologically derived biopolymers that could significantly displace synthetic alternatives. With FlexSea striving to meet the demand for home compostable, bio-based alternative products to conventional plastics, this project aims to tackle this significant industrial challenge.Thanks to FlexSea's innovative fermentation technology we can now use spent algal fractions (by-product of FlexSea's transparent film casting technology - uses 20\_40% of the seaweed fraction) to synthesise these materials reproducibly. During the project we aim to further optimise the yields and characteristics of the biopolymers as well as liaise with industrial partners to assess their properties for a number of applications.During the project the biosynthesis of these materials will be up-scaled from 250 mL to 4-L to 1500L.By the end of the 20-month project FlexSea aims to patent the technology and employ the material synthesised to undertake commercial pilots with several industry partners.In addition, the consortium will deliver a full technoeconomic and life-cycle assessment for further commercialization of the technology. By producing three single use plastic- alternatives (hydrocolloid films; PHAs, PGGA) in a biorefinery approach, we aim to scale and commercialise the sustainable (no waste) and economic advantage (reduced raw material costs; additional revenue stream) of using seaweed as a sustainable bio-based feedstock.