Technical and economic evaluation of using hydrogen peroxide to provide oxygen in the production of bioplastics

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TerraVerdae BioWorks Inc, Edmonton, Alberta, is commercializing a range of bioplastic products, polyhydroxyalkanoates, that are produced in bacterial fermentation processes. To reduce capital cost, high densities of bacteria must be obtained. This requires feeding the bioreactors with pure oxygen, which is very expensive. It has been suggested that hydrogen peroxide, typically used in industrial bleaching processes, could be a cheaper source of oxygen as it can decompose to oxygen and water. However, hydrogen peroxide can also kill bacteria. Studies have successfully demonstrated that hydrogen peroxide can be used as a source of oxygen in bacterial fermentations but it has never been applied to high density culture as needed for polyhydroxyalkanoate production. The present project will develop the methodology to use hydrogen peroxide in high-density bacterial culture without harming the bioplastic-producing bacteria. Data will be gathered to allow TerraVerdae to make accurate economic assessments regarding the replacement of pure oxygen with hydrogen peroxide. An automated hydrogen peroxide feeding process will be developed and transferred to TerraVerdae, such that they can test the process on a larger scale. TerraVerdae estimates that bioplastics is potentially worth ~$50B in an established $500B/yr plastics market and the proposed work is important in making the polyhydroxyalkanoate bioplastics more cost competitive with petroleum-based plastics. This will reduce our reliance on petroleum, produces less greenhouse gases than materials from petrochemicals and bioplastics are potentially compostable.