PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates) are a highly versatile family of polymers that have continued to develop in recent years. The latest news on PHAs shows that they are expected to make a major contribution to increasing biodegradable polymer production capacity to 5.2 million tonnes by 2026 (they currently account for around 60% of bioplastics produced).
One of the advantages of PHAs is their ability to biodegrade in most environments. They are even among the only polymers capable of biodegrading rapidly in seawater (e.g. over 70% in 28 days for some materials available today).
PHAs from the WOW project
Confirming the market’s interest in these materials, NaturePlast is a partner in three European projects concerning them, including the WOW! project, which began in 2018. This Interreg NWE project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of using wastewater to obtain high value-added biobased products. In particular, it aims to produce PHAs from carbonaceous elements contained in wastewater. After more than 3 years of research and optimization of its production process, WOW! in partnership with the PHA2USE project project has extracted just over 18 kg of PHAs, a first in Europe!
This is a PHBV (Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)) containing between 25 and 30% valerate copolymer. NaturePlast was given access to 6 kg of this material to evaluate its properties and carry out initial formulation work. After extrusion and injection of the compounds on our equipment, the various properties of the blends could be measured, demonstrating their particular positioning in relation to commercially available PHAs.
Today, PHAs are mainly limited to rather rigid and brittle materials, preferably intended for injection molding applications. The PHA obtained in the WOW! project is much softer and ductile, making it possible to broaden the range of this type of material and, in particular, to envisage an easier transition to extrusion processes.
It can also be used as a softening agent in formulations based on biodegradable materials (PLA, other PHAs), enabling the final material to retain its ability to degrade.
This initial work has demonstrated the high potential of this type of PHAs and shown that it is possible to produce a high-performance material from wastewater, thus providing a solution for the production of materials not derived from resources in competition with food resources. Although the process and implementation still need to be optimized, these results are very encouraging and will be pursued in future projects.
About NaturePlast NaturePlast is a French company based in Normandy (Ifs – 14), specializing in bioplastics. With over 14 years’ experience in this field, it boasts the broadest portfolio of biobased and/or biodegradable raw materials and compounds in Europe. Together with its daughter company BiopolyNov, it also supports manufacturers from the birth to the industrialization of their innovation projects. Thanks to the R&D know-how acquired over the years, NaturePlast and BiopolyNov are now experts in the development and production of formulations for customer or collaborative projects.