BIOME TECHNOLOGIES
UK grant for research on lignin in bioplastics / Abundant feedstock supply could reduce costs / Initial project focuses on polyester
A consortium led by Biome Technologies (Southampton / UK; www.biometechnologies.com) has won a grant worth GBP 150,000 from the UK’s Technology Strategy Board to investigate a bio-based alternative for oil-derived organic chemicals used in the production of bioplastics. The research will be undertaken by the group’s bioplastics division, Biome Bioplastics, in partnership with the University of Warwick’s Centre for Biotechnology and Biorefining (Coventry / UK; www.warwick.ac.uk).
The grant will support an initial feasibility project to isolate a chemical from lignin to replace the oil-derived equivalent used in a polyester that provides strength and flexibility in some of Biome’s products. Biome said a bio-based polyester would reduce the cost and further enhance their sustainability.
Lignin, a complex hydrocarbon that helps provide structural support in plants, is a waste product of the pulp and paper industry and a potentially abundant feedstock that could provide the foundation for a new generation of bioplastics. The University of Warwick’s Centre for Biotechnology and Biorefining is pioneering academic research into lignin-degrading bacteria. Biome is working with the Warwick team to develop methods to control the lignin breakdown process to determine whether the chemicals can be extracted in significant quantities.
If the initial feasibility assessment is successful, Biome will explore the possibilities for producing a wide range of bio-based aromatics from lignin, further reducing costs and expanding bioplastic functionality and performance, as well as improving their ability to compete with oil-based plastics. Although bioplastics are often based on natural materials, some oil-derived chemicals are also included to give certain properties, including mechanical strength, tear resistance and durability.
Biome Bioplastics’ CEO Paul Mines said the bioplastics market remains small compared to that of fossil-based polymers and growth is restricted by the price of bioplastic resins being two to four times that of their petrochemical counterparts. “We anticipate that the availability of a high performance polymer, manufactured economically from renewable sources would considerably increase the market,” he commented. Biome estimates that the total value to the UK of using industrial biotechnology will be between GBP 4 bn and GBP 12 bn by 2025.
e-Service:
Biome Bioplastics position paper "An Exploration of Lignin" as a PDF document
The grant will support an initial feasibility project to isolate a chemical from lignin to replace the oil-derived equivalent used in a polyester that provides strength and flexibility in some of Biome’s products. Biome said a bio-based polyester would reduce the cost and further enhance their sustainability.
Lignin, a complex hydrocarbon that helps provide structural support in plants, is a waste product of the pulp and paper industry and a potentially abundant feedstock that could provide the foundation for a new generation of bioplastics. The University of Warwick’s Centre for Biotechnology and Biorefining is pioneering academic research into lignin-degrading bacteria. Biome is working with the Warwick team to develop methods to control the lignin breakdown process to determine whether the chemicals can be extracted in significant quantities.
If the initial feasibility assessment is successful, Biome will explore the possibilities for producing a wide range of bio-based aromatics from lignin, further reducing costs and expanding bioplastic functionality and performance, as well as improving their ability to compete with oil-based plastics. Although bioplastics are often based on natural materials, some oil-derived chemicals are also included to give certain properties, including mechanical strength, tear resistance and durability.
Biome Bioplastics’ CEO Paul Mines said the bioplastics market remains small compared to that of fossil-based polymers and growth is restricted by the price of bioplastic resins being two to four times that of their petrochemical counterparts. “We anticipate that the availability of a high performance polymer, manufactured economically from renewable sources would considerably increase the market,” he commented. Biome estimates that the total value to the UK of using industrial biotechnology will be between GBP 4 bn and GBP 12 bn by 2025.
e-Service:
Biome Bioplastics position paper "An Exploration of Lignin" as a PDF document
08.04.2013 Plasteurope.com [225011-0]
Published on 08.04.2013