Polyhydroxyalkanoates manufacturers

Polyhydric alcohols, 2 46-55 analysis, 2 52-53 chemical reactions, 2 46-50 economic aspects, 2 52 health and safety factors, 2 53 manufacture, 2 50-52 physical properties of, 2 48t uses of, 2 53-54 Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA),... 

Metabolix and ADM have formed the joint venture Telles to produce and market polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) resins based on corn sugar. The Japanese company Kaneka has just recently announced to launch a 1000 mt production facility for the manufacture of Kaneka PHBH, a copolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyhexanoate [13]. 

Polyhydroxyalkanoate(s) (PHA) are one of the potential environmentally friendly alternatives to petroleum-derived synthetic plastic. Their biodegradahility and production from renewable resources make them extremely desirable substitutes for synthetic plastics. However, the use of PHA as a substitute is hindered by the overall manufacturing cost, which is far more expensive than the manufacture of non-biodegradable synthetic plastics. 

A common route that can be applied for obtaining polyhydroxyalkanoates with desirable functionalities is to produce PHAs with terminal double bonds followed by chemical modification steps. Carbon double bonds are comparatively inert but can be easily transformed into reactive functional groups under mild reaction conditions. Non-functionalized PHAs can also be activated by surface modification techniques. The resulting tailor-made structural and material properties have positioned polyhydroxyalkanoates well to contribute to the manufacturing of second and third generation biomaterials. ... 

The promise in this field is yet to be realized Bioplastic manufacture is not cost conpetitive with the manufacture of conventional plastics from petrochemicals, and concerns about compostability have also been raised As a result, as of 2012 some promising materials, such as the polyhydroxyalkanoic acid (PHA)-derived biodegradable plastic Mirel, are no longer being made on a commercial scale, although both production and consunption of these types of matmals has seen steady growth worldwide. 

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