Industrial Production of PHAs History and Current Landscape

1 Industrial Production of PHAs History and Current Landscape 

Among all PHA polymers existing, PHB, its copolymers, and PHBV are today the most widely commercially available. The first commercialization of PHB is found back in the 1950s by W.R. Grace Co., USA, but the trial soon failed [27], Subsequently in the 1970s, Imperial Chemical Industries [ICI], United Kingdom, developed 

PHB obtained via fermentation under trade name Biopol. It was distributed in the United States by Monsanto and then Metabolix, 

which formed later a joint venture with Archer Daniels Midlands, called Telles, commercializing now PHA products under the brand Mirel. More recently Metabolix announced termination of Telles joint venture and signed a distribution and supply agreements with the Chinese Tianjin GreenBio Materials Co [65], 

In parallel, Chemie Linz, Austria, [now Borealis], together with Petrochemia Danubia [PCD], started pilot scale production of PHB in the 1980s. The business was later acquired by Biomer, Germany, in the 1980s. 

---