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Metabolix Inc. an innovation-driven bioscience company focused on delivering sustainable solutions for plastics chemicals and energy today announced that its researchers will make technical presentations at the ANTEC Conference being held April 22-25 in Cincinnati Ohio.
Metabolix researchers will present new data showing that its biobased PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) copolymers significantly improve the mechanical performance and environmental characteristics of the commercially significant polymers polylactide (PLA) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
“The demand for application specific products is an important trend in the biopolymers market and we are actively working to capitalize on it” said Richard P. Eno president and chief executive officer Metabolix. “Metabolix continues to drive innovation in the biopolymer market forward with technology advances that deliver valuable market applications for established industries across the globe.”
“We are excited to share these test results showcasing the broad applicability of our PHA biopolymers for synergistically improving the characteristics of PLA and PVC” noted Bob Engle vice president business development biopolymers Metabolix. “The results detailed in our presentations represent the recent progression of our research and development activities and have the potential for broadening the market opportunity for our biopolymers business.”
Overview of Metabolix Presentations at ANTEC:
“Impact Modification of PLA using Biobased Biodegradable Mirel PHB Copolymers”
Monday April 22 at 9:00 a.m. Session M1 Bioplastics Room 230
Allen Padwa will present data highlighting the use of Mirel PHB copolymers to improve the impact toughness of PLA without compromising the biobased carbon content and compostability of PLA. The results show that PHA can be blended with PLA to achieve a 20-fold increase in impact strength with modest decreases in tensile modulus. The balance of properties achieved with the blend rivals the performance of established engineering resins. The phase morphology and structure-property relationships of PLA/PHA blends will be discussed in the presentation.
“Modification of PVC with Biobased PHA Rubber Part 2”
Tuesday April 23 at 9:30 a.m. Session T16 Room 202
Yelena Kann Ph.D. will present new data on the use of PHA polymeric modifiers to improve the mechanical and environmental performance of PVC. The presentation will describe the miscibility of PHA polymeric modifiers and their effect on plasticization impact modification and flow promotion in flexible and semi-rigid PVC. In addition data showing the resistance of PHA modified PVC to fungal growth weatherization and biodegradation as compared to controls will be presented. Dr. Kann will also provide an overview of ongoing research in the use of PHA polymeric modifiers to improve rigid PVC formulations.
About Metabolix
Metabolix Inc. is an innovation-driven bioscience company delivering sustainable solutions to the plastics chemicals and energy industries. Metabolix is developing and commercializing a family of high-performance biopolymers targeted to the markets for film and bag applications performance additives and functional biodegradation. Metabolix’s biobased chemicals platform utilizes its novel “FAST” recovery process to enable the production of cost-effective “drop-in” replacements for petroleum-based industrial chemicals. Metabolix is also developing a platform for co-producing plastics chemicals and energy from crops. Metabolix has established an industry-leading intellectual property portfolio that together with its knowledge of advanced industrial practice provides a foundation for industry collaborations.
