Metabolix engineers plants to make cheaper, cleaner bioplastic

Company is genetically engineering switchgrass to produce bioplastic and chemicals

A company called Metabolix, based in Cambridge (MA), has been working on a technology to genetically engineer plants such as switchgrass to create a biodegradable polymer that can be extracted directly from the plant.

The research is focused on a polymer called polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), which is part of the polyhydroxyalkanoate polymer (PHA) family of biopolymers that Metabolix already supplies to plastics manufacturers. The new plant-based process is potentially cheaper and requires less equipment, Metabolix says.

… Full text: www.gizmag.com/metabolix-bioplastic-switchgrass/28578/

Tags: carbon footprint, PHB, CO2, injection molding, renewable energy

Source

gizmag.com, 2013-08-06.

Supplier

Metabolix
US Department of Energy (DoE)

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