I-Corps: Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) bioplastics produced from waste resources

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是从废物资源中开发可生物降解的塑料，以取代包装中的石油基塑料。 对塑料包装的需求不断增加，再加上塑料废物不可避免地进入环境，给世界带来了巨大的污染问题。消费品价值链中的实体迫切需要解决这些问题，表现为不断变化的客户需求和立法压力。不幸的是，回收利用并不是一个可行的全球解决方案。此外，由于成本、可持续性、功能性和/或生物降解性的问题，目前大多数可用的生物塑料替代品被认为是不可行的。新型包装用生物降解塑料的成功开发和商业化不仅可以满足可持续发展的环境需求，还可以通过解决商业和环境问题的技术推动更强大的包装经济。I-Corps的这个项目是基于从废物资源中生产的聚羟基链烷酸酯（PHA）共聚物的开发。由于材料缺乏通用性以及基于使用粮食作物的生产技术，PHA的实施长期受到阻碍。将大量废物流升级循环为新型PHA共聚物和共混物可以克服这些障碍，并解决PHA在包装中取代石油基塑料所需的技术挑战。利用废弃物资源生产PHA可以显著降低生产成本，提高生产的可持续性。目前，商业化的PHA技术仅限于掺入少量不同的PHA单体，例如4-碳聚羟基丁酸酯（PHB）和中链长（MCL）6-碳PHA聚羟基己酸酯（PHHx）。生物塑料的工业应用的重要性质，如熔融温度、结晶动力学、弹性和杨氏模量，可以通过将不同的单体单元掺入生物聚合物产物中来改善。对该提出的技术的研究和开发已经证明了引入4至14个碳的所有单体单元的整个系列的PHB-co-MCL共聚物和共混物的可行生产。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of biodegradable plastics from waste resources to replace petroleum-based plastics in packaging. Continually increasing demand for plastic packaging, coupled with the inevitable escape of plastic waste into the environment, is posing a monumental pollution issue for the world. Entities within the consumer goods value chain have a pressing need to address these issues, manifested in the form of changing customer demands and legislative pressures. Unfortunately, recycling is not a feasible global solution. Also, most currently available bioplastic alternatives are not considered viable due to issues of cost, sustainability, functionality, and/or biodegradability. The successful development and commercialization of novel biodegradable plastics for packaging may not only address an environmental need for sustainability, but also may create a stronger packaging economy driven by technologies that address both commercial and environmental problems.This I-Corps project is based on the development of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) copolymers produced from waste resources. Implementation of PHAs has long been hindered by lack of versatility in the material, as well as production technologies based on using food crops. Upcycling abundant waste streams into novel PHA copolymers and blends may overcome these hindrances and address the technical challenges required for PHAs to replace petroleum-based plastics in packaging. Basing production of PHAs on waste resources may significantly reduce the cost and improve the sustainability of production. Currently, commercialized PHA technologies are limited to incorporating only a handful of different PHA monomers, such as the 4-carbon polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and the medium chain length (MCL) 6-carbon PHA polyhydroxyhexanoate (PHHx). Important properties for industrial application of bioplastics, such as the melting temperature, crystallization kinetics, elasticity, and Young’s modulus, may be improved by incorporation of different monomer units into the biopolymer product. Research and development into this proposed technology has demonstrated feasible production of a whole family of PHB-co-MCL copolymers and blends, incorporating all monomer units from 4 to 14 carbons. This may allow for production of a diverse array of fully biodegradable bio-based packaging materials.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.