Someday, your Spandex tights and car dashboard may be made out of sugar cane rather than petroleum, if start-up Genomatica succeeds on its plans.
The San Diego-based start-up on Tuesday said that it has reached a technical milestone in converting sugar--derived from sugar cane or beets--into an industrial plastic called 1,4-butanediol, or BDO. It's a material that's appeals to the auto, apparel, and pharmaceutical industries for a variety of uses.
Coaxing little bugs to do some heavy lifting.
(Credit: Genomatica)Genomatica uses a genetically modified strain of E.coli bacteria to convert sugar water into BDO through fermentation. On Tuesday it said it demonstrated that it can remove impurities from that fermented brew to make a 99 percent concentrated version of BDO.
"We're using a process that will continue to allow the overall economics of making BDO from sugars to be cost advantaged," said Genomatica CEO Christophe Schilling. "Not only do we purify it, but we purify it in a way that will allow us to use technologies known to scale."
Schilling said that at the current price of sugar and $50-per-barrel oil, the process is 25 percent cheaper than petroleum-based BDO. The cost advantage will attract customers, which are also interested in finding a plant feedstock that has a less volatile price than oil, he said.
The company plans to build a demonstration facility next year that will produce about one ton of BDO a day. A commercial-scale operation would 20 to 100 times larger.
Biological-based chemical manufacturing is poised for greater adoption in part because of volatile fossil fuel prices and because consumers are demanding products made from renewable materials, Schilling predicted. He noted that DuPont is using a fermentation-based process to make 1,3-propanediol (PDO), another industrial plastic.
If successful with its demonstration facility, Genomatica expects to license its technology to other chemical manufacturers.
Schilling said the company has plans for making other chemicals, using a suite of software modeling tools that speed up discovery of ways to manipulate microorganisms to make a desired product.
The interior of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid.
(Credit: Ford Motor Company)Ford does not and will not be using soy-foam in the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. Seats are comprised of 85 percent post consumer recycled material and covered in eco-responsible fabric.
The 2010 Fusion Hybrid is the latest Ford family vehicle that to be outfitted with soy-based foam seat backs and cushions, and covered in 100 percent recycled fabric, which goes to show that mileage isn't the only way to measure the environmental impact of a car.
By the end of 2009 model year, more than 1 million Ford vehicles will have been manufactured with these petroleum-alternative seats. Since its debut in 2008, Ford has used the foam in the Mustang, Expedition, F-150, Escape, Focus, Mazda Tribute, and Lincoln Navigator.
A soy-based foam seat.
(Credit: Ford Motor)Replacing the seat cushions may not sound like a huge technological leap, but the switch from polyurethane foam derived from petroleum to soybean oil-based foam in these vehicles has offset more than 5 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, said to Cynthia Flanigan, a plastics expert in Ford's Research and Advanced Engineering department. It's another step toward reducing the United States' dependence on foreign oil.
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BioSolar has developed a plant-based plastic for making durable, less expensive, and more sustainable solar equipment, the 2-year-old company said Tuesday.
The company's BioBacksheet is a protective coating for crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells. Its material consists of layers of cotton fiber and a nylon resin from castor beans provided by Arkema, a Philadelphia chemicals company. Genetically modified crops aren't involved, according to BioSolar.
Castor beans and cotton make up the backing of this solar cell.
(Credit: BioSolar)Unlike many plant-based plastics, which are ideal for throwaway forks and food packaging, BioSolar's material is supposed to withstand extreme temperatures and moisture, keeping solar photovoltaic equipment safe when exposed to the elements. The company, based north of Los Angeles in Santa Clarita, aims to develop thin-film solar applications down the road.
Stan Levy, chief technology officer of BioSolar, was set to release details about the use of cotton and castor beans in BioBacksheet on Tuesday morning at the SPIE Symposium on Solar Applications and Energy in San Diego.
"Not only is this product produced from sustainable and renewable resources, but is expected to be more cost effective than the current backsheets," Levy said in a statement.
If he's correct, then BioBacksheet could serve as an alternative to DuPont's Tedlar brand material, which is composed of polyvinyl fluoride.
In July, DuPont Photovoltaic Fluoromaterials said it created one-step production of the polymer, licensing the technology to Tokyo-based Toppan Printing for commercialization within photovoltaic backsheets by 2010.
Small makers of solar cells reportedly have been waiting as long as six months for Tedlar, which is in short supply.
Silicon solar backsheets also use polyesther and ethylene-vinyl acetate. BioSolar's executives hope that rising costs for fossil fuels and concerns about the toxicity of petroleum-based plastics will drive solar equipment makers to consider its product.
Bioplastics company Metabolix has devised what it hopes is an efficient way to manufacture its product: growing grass.
The company on Monday said that it has has created "significant amounts" of its bioplastic by growing it in the leaves of switchgrass. The details of the greenhouse trial are published in Plant Biotechnology Journal.
A close-up of a leaf of switchgrass with bioplastic material growing in it. The plastic will be extracted and turned into pellets. Remaining biomass can be used for other purposes such as biofuels, according to the company.
Metabolix has developed a process for making plastics by combining genes of several naturally occurring substances. It plastics, marketed under the brand Mirel, can be made from corn or other sources of sugar.
Mirel bioplastic, called polyhydroxybutyrate (PHA), are biodegradeable alternatives to petroleum plastic. A manufacturer of gardening stakes is using the plastic and it can be used for credit cards or containers of consumer products.
Growing the plastic in a plant will allow for the switchgrass to produce both bioplastics and use residual biomass for energy, according to the company. The plastic would be culled and turned into pellets for plastic production.
Switchgrass is a perennial native grass that grows quickly. Researchers and several companies are developing methods for converting the plant biomass into ethanol.
"This result validates the prospect for economic production of PHA polymer in switchgrass, and demonstrates for the first time an important tool for enhancing switchgrass for value-added performance as a bioenergy crop," Oliver Peoples, chief scientific officer, said in a statement.
Last year, company executives said that they expected that their process for growing plastics would be commercial by 2012.
A number of bio-energy companies are looking at bioplastics production. Earlier this month, energy crop company Ceres said that it intends to use genetic engineering to grow plastics directly in plants as well.
Update on August 13, 1:50 p.m. PT with different photo of switchgrass leaf.
- Goldman's Murti says oil 'likely' to reach $150 to $200 -- Bloomberg
Oil is now at about $120. Will $200 drive more investment in clean tech? - Grease bandits strike as biofuel demand rises -- The Christian Science Monitor
Grease thieves are driving up behind Burger Kings to steal material to make biodiesel. Says a cop: we see it all the time now. - Poet cancels ethanol plant -- Greentech Media
The gold rush mentality in ethanol seems to be fading fast. Poet cancels a planned Minnesota plant because of lengthy permitting process. - Will global warming take a short break? -- ScienceDaily
Improved climate predictions suggest a reduced warming trend during the next 10 years. An interesting note to this study, on the potential cooling effects of oceans, is how scientists are trying to communicate with a general public: "Just to make things clear: we are not stating that anthropogenic climate change won't be as bad as previously thought," they say. Andrew Revkin at the The New York Times' Dot Earth blog wonders how this study, if it pans out, could impact climate crusaders. - In search of new fertilizer tech (no, really) -- Wired Science
Get reacquainted with nitrogen, the Conde Nast publication starts a series of blogs on fertilizers which, along with grains, are shooting up in price and are also being scrutinized for their environmental impact in farming. - Solar power to clotheslines, bills make strides for a greener Hawaii -- The Honolulu Advertiser
Hawaii considers a bill that would require new buildings to have solar hot-water heaters. This shows the impact of high oil prices in a state that has to import nearly all of its energy. - 'Sustainable' bioplastic can damage the environment -- The Guardian
Once again, we see that what is "green" is not unequivocally good. The Guardian finds that U.K. stores are bagging a variety of bioplastics, PLA, because they require special yet thinly available industrial composters. Some environmental benefits are questioned. - As gas costs soar, buyers flock to small cars -- The New York Times
This and other articles on first-quarter auto sales focus on the shift from trucks and SUVs to cars, and how poorly U.S. manufacturers are faring. If high gas prices continue, it could boost electric cars such as the Think City, as well as plug-in hybrids.
Denmark-based Agroplast wants to transform pig urine into plastic dinnerware and household items.
We all have to have dreams, I suppose.
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The company has essentially devised a way to better commercialize urea, a compound of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen, found in urine.
Other animal waste products like manure can be inserted into the system, but pig urine is particularly interesting because it is an environmental hazard, says Peter Tøttrup, a partner at Seed Capital, a Danish venture firm that also helps the government incubate start-ups. We ran into Tøttrup at the coffee urn at the NordicGreen conference in Menlo Park, Calif., this week.
"There are 20 million pigs in Denmark, and what they do environmentally is a problem," he said.
Transforming farm waste into plastic precursors is potentially attractive over other bioplastic ideas because the feedstock effectively has no value. In fact, it has negative value because animal waste must be disposed, which costs money. Some other bioplastic companies make their resins out of corn starch.
Tøttrup claims that the process could, conceivably, result in plastics that cost a third less than conventional plastics made from fossil fuels. That's a big conceivably. Traditionally, bioplastics made of vegetable matter have cost more than fossil fuel plastics. Evaluation of the pricing will have to wait until large volumes of this stuff are made. Agroplast is going into a pilot study now, Tøttrup said.
Agroplast says its farm-friendly chemicals have other uses too. They can be used as fertilizers, as an ingredient in lotions, and "as a flavor enhancer in cigarettes," according to the company's Web site.
That puts a new spin on the good, clean taste of Kools.
DSM, a Dutch giant that makes everything from food enzymes and pharmaceuticals to plastics and chemicals, has invested in Novomer, which has a process for converting carbon dioxide to biodegradable plastic.
DSM Venturing participated in the $6.6 million series A round that was announced last month, DSM said Wednesday.
This is the resin that forms the basis of Novomer's biodegradeable plastics.
(Credit: Novomer)DSM said the two companies signed a "cooperation agreement" but did not disclose the amount of DSM Venturing's investment or many other details. Flagship Ventures and Physic Ventures also took part in the funding round.
Novomer, which was spun out of Cornell University, has developed a catalyst that can make biodegradable plastic from liquid metals and carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide. It intends to make a range of different plastics.
DSM has annual sales of about $13 billion and develops materials and chemicals for several different markets, including consumer products, automotive, and pharmaceuticals.
There are a number of companies investing in new techniques for making biodegradable plastics or making plastics from plant material, like corn starch.
Earlier this month, bioplastic company Cereplast announced plans to start building a production facility in Indiana, set to open for operation in 2010, which will make half a billion pounds of plastics a year.
Another company, Metabolix, has signed a deal with retail store Target to make a gift card out of its bioplastic product called Mirel.
Novomer, a Cornell University spin-off, has devised a method for making biodegradable plastics from the common gases carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
The company on Wednesday announced that Physic Ventures and Flagship Ventures have invested $6.6 million, which Novomer will use to commercialize its technology.
The honey-colored goo that is the basis of different biodegradeable plastics.
(Credit: Novomer)The plastics it intends to make could be used in a wide range of applications, including supermarket packaging, computer cases, plastic bottles, or foam to insulate buildings, said Novomer president Charles Hamilton. The company joins a growing number of green tech start-ups that are investing in bioplastics and other environmentally friendly materials.
"People have long dreamed about using carbon dioxide in this way but it's very hard to make it react chemically. That's why we put it in fire extinguishers," he said. "That's the breakthrough we have--to make it react without having to put a lot of energy into it."
Research behind the technology, patented by Cornell, was aimed at finding a catalyst that could combine carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide to make polymers.
The process, so far demonstrated on a small scale, calls for mixing a liquid metal with carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide in a reactor at low pressure. The end product contains about 50 percent of carbon dioxide by weight.
Depending on the feedstock and catalyst, Novomer can vary the output. For example, it may want to produce a more flexible plastic or one that doesn't decompose for a long time.
The company is still testing how biodegradable its plastics will be. It knows that the polymers made by other companies with carbon monoxide--called PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates)--take about six months to decompose. Some of the plastics made with carbon dioxide have shown similar biodegradability, Hamilton said.
Initially, the company is pitching its plastics as a greener alternative to petroleum-based products. In the longer term, it expects to bring down the price so that the products are cheaper and better overall, Hamilton said.
Right now, Novomer is using gases that it purchases in tanks. But its plans call for constructing an eco-plastic facility at a spot that generates a lot of carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide, such as a cement plant, a facility that produces hydrogen, or a gasification facility.
"You can't have a cheaper feedstock than carbon dioxide. You actually get paid to use it," Hamilton said.
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