This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is designed to apply modern bioengineering capabilities to the development of viable alternatives to petroleum-derived plastics. Recent literature reports have identified a novel class of bioplastics based on the monomer, ù-hydroxyfatty acids (ù-HFAs). In addition to a variety of other interesting applications, the ù-HFA monomer can be readily polymerized into a unique family of biopolyester plastics that display properties similar to polyethylene, thus overcoming a key limitation found with other bioplastics. In order for ù-HFAs to become a viable alternative to current bioplastics, a scalable production process based on low-cost renewable feedstocks must be developed. THis SBIR project will develop a novel low-cost biological fermentation process for the large-scale production of ù-HFAs based on work we recently reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. In particular, our work represented the first demonstration of the genetic engineering of a yeast strain (in this case, Candida tropicalis) to allow for the selective and efficient enzymatic conversion of naturally-occurring fatty acid oils to their corresponding ù-HFAs. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will help to improve availability of bioplastics for broader commercial applications. Market adoption of current bioplastics has been limited due to their high production costs and their undesirable functional properties such as brittleness, high permeability, rigidity and low melting points relative to petroleum plastics. The U.S. market size for bioplastics in 2010 was approximately $350M and is currently growing at 17% per year. To date, bioplastics have been limited to niche markets such as disposable biodegradable consumer items where cost and undesirable functional properties can be offset by consumer demand for a biodegradable material. A few examples of these application areas include catering items (crockery, cutlery, bowls, etc.) and containers (bottles, cups, trays, etc.) particularly in health food stores and restaurants. New bioplastics such as ù-HFAs with improved characteristics may enable additional applications within the $106B/yr polyethylene market. The majority of plastic components we depend upon every day are comprised of non-biodegradable polyethylene, and many could benefit from being derived from sustainable, renewable and lower cost resources/feedstocks. Further, development of scalable biological production of plastics serves to reduce petroleum dependence as well as providing a flexible platform for production of next-generation materials.
