Metabolix, Inc

Acknowledgement. Part of the above text was taken from the review published previously by B. Kessler and B. Witholt in Flickinger MC, Drew SW (eds) Encyclopedia of bioprocess technology fermentation, biocatalysis and bioseparation, vol 5, pp 2024-2040. We thank O. Peoples (Metabolix Inc.) for supplying information. 

Metabolix,Inc. "BiotechnologyFoundation Plants,"Website http // www.metabolix. com/biotechnology%20foundation/plants.html... 

Metabolix Inc., is a private firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, that was spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992 and acquired biopolymer technology from Monsanto Inc. in 2001. Metabolix began its first commercial production of organic polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) resin, based on corn sugar in 2005 at an undisclosed location in the Midwest. The plant was expected to produce around 100 tonnes of material in 2005 and close to 1000 tonnes in 2006. 

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and the very similar polyethylene oxide (PEO) are used as biocompatible coating agents and hydrogel forming materials, often as block or graft copolymers with other materials (Eig. IF). They are often bound to polyurethanes to form hydrophilic foams such as Biopol (Metabolix Inc.). 

At present, Metabolix Inc (Cambridge, MA) andTepha Inc (Lexington, MA) are most probably the most advanced companies in this area. Metabolix has build together with Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) a new plant in Clinton (Iowa) to produce about 50000 tons per year of various PHAScl for bulk applications. Tepha is focusing on the production of various sophisticated medical devices like sutures, cardiovascular tissues, meshes etc. 

Optical modification of PVC film with biobased polymer. [Data from Kami, Y, Weinlein, R, US Patent US20140051787, Feb. 20,20 A,Metabolix, Inc.]... 

PHA is produced by different bacterial strains. One of the most studied strain is C. necator (formerly known as Wautersia eutropha, Ralstonia eutropha or Alcaligene eutrophus). It was used in industrial production by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI PLC) to produce P(3HB-co-3HV) under the trade name of BiopoF. The Biopol patents have now been acquired by Metabolix Inc. (USA) (Verlinden et al. 2007). Until now, C. necator is still being used widely for bacterial fermentation as it is an efficient strain. Other important strains that have been studied for PHA production are Bacillus spp., Alcaligenes spp.. Pseudomonas spp., Aeromonas hydrophila, Rhodopseudomonas palustris, recombinant Escherichia coli, Burkholderia sacchari, and Halomonas boliviensis (Verlinden et al. 2007). 

A copolymer of P3HB with valeric acid, P(3HB-co-3HV), with the structures shown above, cau also be bacterially produced and available commercially. In the United States, PHB is manufactured by Telles (ADM/Metabolix) and Meridian Inc. PHBV is manufactured by Metabolix Inc. 

Metabolix Inc. (USA) has developed a fermentation process to produce biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) from renewable feedstock by incorporating genes from PHA-producing bacteria into a strain of Escherichia coli. The fermentation process... 

Since the homopolymer P(3HB) is a tough and brittle polymer, it has been copolymerized with P(3HV). The copolymer P(3HB-co-3HV) has greater potential as a biomaterial. Its Tg is between —5 and 20 °C, and its Tm is 80-160 °C depending upon the composition. It has been studied for use as a suture material, an orthopedic implant as well as an adhesion prevention film. It was first made commercially available by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) under the trade name Biopol , but now the product has been discontinued. Currently, Tepha (a spinoff from Metabolix Inc.) is actively engaged in developing biotextile products based on PH As. 

Mirel P3HB/P4HB Metabolix Inc. www.metabolix.com/ Industrial and home compost, marine, anaerobic digester... 

Metabolix, Inc. Press Release, Metabolix Announces Termination ofTelles Joint Venture, Cambridge, MA, USA, 12 January 2012... 

P(3HB -CO-4HB) is commercialised by Telles (i.e., Mirel ). Telles, a joint venture between the Archer Daniels Midland Company and Metabolix Inc., is in charge of the production of Mirel and its distribution. 

The idea of treating jute fibres with different additives to enhance the properties of hot-pressed Biopol composites was examined by Khan et al. (1999). As in a number of other research studies, Biopol , a PHBV originally developed by ICI but now owned by Metabolix Inc of the US, was the chosen polymer matrix. Jute was used in the form of a fabric combined with sheets of polymer film. Fibre treatments included 2-ethyl hexyl acrylate (3%), 7-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (2%) and trimethoxyvinylsilane (0.5%). These treatments were effective in improving composite mechanical properties by up to 80% over and above those properties obtained when using untreated fibre. 

PLA was supplied by Cargill Dow Inc., with 4% D-isomer and 96% L-isomer and with a molecular weight of 150,000 Da. Poly(3-hydroxy octanoate)(PHO) was obtained from Metabolix Inc. with 24,000 Da. Hexamethylene diisocyanate (99.0%) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. 

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